Have a seat, this is going to take a minute.....

Some of the greatest moments of my life happened in the last 6 months; inspiring my hubby without even knowing it, college acceptance letters, two third place trophies, mostly being a part of an unstoppable team.  The excitement I continue to hold onto for Hubby's IFPA's pro-card, I replay over and over in my mind......and the tears still fall, even as I write this.

Coach had been waiting to see my stage photos before making his final synopsis........fortunately and unfortunately he feels we should leave the door open for me to compete again.  On Wednesday, last week, my emotions got the best of me as I was wrapping up my training, the thought "will I miss it" kept going through my mind. So the question remains......will I miss the stage enough to endure such an extreme form of discipline and selfishness? Perhaps the biggest inspiration of my last competition was when all of the women bodybuilders were waiting backstage (13 in total), we were discussing our ages before they called the top 5, would you know it that at the age of 42 I was the youngest!!!

Eli, I weighed 122 today, thanks to Patty's generous Buzz gift of energy bars.......I ate one a day till they were all gone (6 in total), along with too many other things to list (both of you take a drink).  Going without alcohol for so long, I've actually lost my taste for it, perhaps I will work on that this winter!

Huge thanks to the following: my sis, who made me laugh through the process; Tessy, who produced a beautiful college essay out of my 6 months of focus, who Hubby and I think may one day become a bodybuilding judge; Chelsea, for always sending positive thoughts and keeping up with my countdown; my Hubby, how can words express that within our devotion to a sport we would become so much stronger as a couple.......an amazing team.

Heads up for Cinco De Mayo 2012.......Hubby's first pro show in Richmond, Virginia!

3rd place and Hubby wins the Cup!!

Words cannot express the elation and complete utter happiness that woke me up early this morning!!  Not only did I wrap up 6 months of dieting with a 3rd place trophy at the biggest natural bodybuilding event, my hubby, after years of honing and perfecting his diet/conditioning, wins the Men's Overall earning his pro-card.  This is something that we have worked at for years.....and it has come true, no really I'm staring at the trophy!!!  He has always been my champion, now everyone knows why.

We celebrated at Uncle Julio's with our "usual", and honestly, my excitement has me in such a state of euphoria, that I'm not craving any foods......all I want to do is cook for my family and hold onto this great moment in our life.

The 19th birthday and Kim Kardashian

Do you ever have those days when it's gloomy outside and you just want to curl up in front of the TV?  Wednesday afternoon just so happened to be that day for me and so I began channel surfing.  There is a definite sign of low body fat when I got teary eyed at Kim Kardashian's over the top wedding 1000th replay, seriously what is wrong with me, get a grip!!!!

This weeks events:  Our Chelsea turned 19 on Tuesday.......I would have given anything to eat the Dove Chocolate Brownie ice cream concoction I've made her since she was little, Thursday Tess competed at Districts Varsity Cheer competition for the final time and Paige got to remain in her full arm splint instead of a hard cast (due to a zip line accident), best news of all...dun dun dun Chelsea received final acceptance to University of Baltimore......it's amazing that Hubby and I stay focused, well just me!

Finally, I may be ending cardio on Sunday - taking the final week to rest and pose, can I get a amen!  Now I wait for coach to give my final instructions......1 week out and weighed in at 117.5 today!

14 days, stay in the moment and let it ride!

I am moving at a snails pace.  I can't remember what day it is.  My head is attached so things must be relatively ok.  This last week had many high points and equally low points.  On Wednesday, my sis (Kelly #1) came to town, I hadn't seen her in 1.5 years.....it was good to laugh and be lost in the moment and then to end the day with Tess' county cheer competition made for a  priceless day.  With so much extra energy expenditure, I realized the importance of rest and the extreme effects that take place without it (coach had to increase my carbs (80g) for a day to aide with recovery, along with changing my cardio intensity).

This upcoming week of training will remain as heavy as I can bear, next week will be 3-4 light days of high reps.....keep your fingers crossed that after next weeks carb deplete (20g for 3 days) I hit the mark.  I am emotional when I think about being on stage and how freeing I will feel afterwords, it is indescribable.    For those of you who have not seen my Hubby on stage, get ready to blown away (we did some posing today, he is mucho caliente!!!!!).

Our task for the next week is to decide what restaurant to eat at after the show!!!!!  Anyone have any suggestions in Laurel, MD???

21 Days Out!!!

Every night when I'm laying in bed just about to fall asleep my final thought "oh gosh did I remember to put water in the coffee maker?", how many times in the last 5.5 months have I forgotten.....too many to say!  More food dreams, the latest was on Tuesday night....My mother making me a turkey sandwich with 4 pieces of toasted bread, two different kinds of cheese, and mayo gushing out.....it seemed so real when I woke I could actually taste it! Gum, diet soda, sugar free mints have been eliminated from my diet for the last 3 weeks......let the suffering end already.

Worst stranger comment this week "are you a marathon runner", seriously......I can barely stay on the treadmill without hanging on for dear life, let alone running long distance.  In the same conversation this person (a man) also said I had great legs, ghee thanks now that I feel small and like I have no muscle mass I can't wait to step on stage.  Monday night, 10:30pm, hubby whispers "I think you need to do cardio every day, just for 15 min Tues/Wed/Thurs" holy s**t was my first thought, by Friday it had settled in and my new routine was up and running.

Thank you to Chelsea for cutting my music.....she's one in a million (if you come to the night show, no pun intended!).  Halloween is around the corner and I can't wait to go shopping for the trick or treater's, however, there may not be anything left for them once Hubby and I get at it!

Waking up with a smile on my face!!!

When I woke up this morning all I could do was smile.......28 more days till I walk the stage again!!  Or maybe it was the huge bowl of popcorn Hubby and I shared, in celebration of our anniversary, last night......lol!  Or maybe it's because my birthday is tomorrow and I always look forward to it!  Who cares, I made it to 4 weeks! Other highlights of the week: deciding not to track my training for the remainder of show prep, seeing Tess' face light up as she cheered (this is her final year on varsity.....graduation next year!), mostly just making it through the week.  Hubby looks incredible, very satisfying to know some of his meals are now as small as mine.  Perhaps in focusing on me so much that his body relaxed nicely into dieting and is rollin with it!

Cardio is worse than ever, I keep trying new machines........man does it drag.  Chasing a soccer ball is much more fun!

Make 6 weeks end already

The never ending week with 5 more to go.  By far the most physically challenging week which came to a head in the Wegman's restroom Wednesday afternoon.  I sat in the restroom trying to gather myself with thoughts of "why am I doing this", the shopping trip took 2 hours and when I finally got home, after making several trips up and down the stairs of our 3 story townhouse, I curled up in bed too tired to eat my next scheduled meal.  Our daughter, Tess, was able to help with my Saturday shopping trip and even painted my tootsies for me, carb depleting truly wipes me out, thanks bun!

My weight is stuck at 121, back to 3 days of lower carbs this weekend.  Good news, spaghetti squash has only 10 carbs for 1 cup serving....yummy!!!!  Posing was my saving grace and a welcome break from the dieting chaos that consumes my every thought.

Our family, once again, will celebrate with champagne flutes filled with water for Hubby's bday 9/27, our wedding anniversary 9/30, and my bday 10/2.  Maybe next year we'll have cake?!

On to the countdown.......the finish line (4 more weekends left of cardio mayhem)

Sweet Potatoes for breakfast, there really is a god!

The plan last weekend was to keep my carbs low Fri-Sun.....now it has evolved to 50g of carbs, 120g protein, 15g of fat each day until further notice.  I woke this morning to feeling and looking like a did 1 week out of Presidential Cup, things are starting to look up!  Getting through the last 3 weeks of personal challenges, along with a cold, was incredibly challenging and stressful.  As I would tell anyone, changing up cardio apparatuses will get you out of your plateau......so I headed to different gyms trying out new pieces, I think I enjoyed the Cybex Arc the most.

Training for the week was beyond my mental capacity, I could have quit at any given moment......coach stepped in, at times he let me go off by myself to re-group, but always keeping a constant presence (he looks awesome btw!) Normally during hubby's contest prep I'm so consumed with supporting him that now I feel like he's getting the short end of the stick.......I hate feeling like I'm high maintenance, but what else can I say, I have a very patient hubby.

6 weeks out tomorrow, posing begins!

How quickly 7 weeks out rolls around.....

The last two weeks have had more challenges than I could blog about, frustration seemed to have taken over as my weight held in spite of my dedicated measures.  Cheating on my dieting, was at times, an overwhelming thought.  Perhaps the most difficult hurdle was to watch my hubby eat pizza and still maintain his caloric deficit.......how unfair is that?!  He may downplay this fact, however, we know what it takes for him to walk on stage ripped and we are still in the "trial and error" phase with my body.  It's enough to make one lose focus.  The new trick for my metabolism.....carb depleting Fri-Sun (30g. per day) for several weeks and cardio will get an increase.

Keep your fingers crossed.......

9 weeks plus 1 day to Yorton!

After cleaning up my diet my weight this morning was 122, down 7 pounds from Monday.  Goes to show what an abundance of sugar (carbs), salt, and fat can do to your appearance and with the elimination of them can create that type of change to the scale.  Tomorrow will bring change to my diet, however, just a slight change to the composition protein/carbs/fat (calories will have a range that I will keep too rather than a specific number per day).

Training was invigorating this past week, going back to a more traditional bodybuilding regime and adding all the exercises I have missed over these past months.....mostly walking lunges!  Coach has had to step into his training mindset, although he still catches my California count, the focus and intensity is a comfort.  I threw in two days of cardio Friday and Saturday, the clubhouse gym was closed Sunday due to Irene.....I took it as a sign to rest!!

10 weeks to Yorton Cup, seriously!!

Round two.  Today marks 10 weeks to the Yorton Cup, which will be held in Bethesda, MD October 29th, Hubby and I will compete together!! This last week of sheer food bliss was everything and also disappointing......when you diet for an extended period of time, the foods that you crave so intensely never live up to your imagination or taste buds, however, there are exceptions....

Five Guys, hands down best burger and fries
Apple Fritter from Shopper's - seriously colossal
Brownie Sundae from Jo Jo's, need I say more
Swirl Margarita's from Uncle Julio's
Dixie Bone's ribs, cornbread, greens, oh and sweet potato pie
Buzz' energy bars
Chelsea's oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
Laura's Junk Food
Amy's cornmeal crust pizza, best part - eating it all in one sitting!

Back to training today.....after all that gorging I had every intention of benching at least 135 today, which I did but only one time....LOL coach had to spot me the rest!  I need to be leaner for Yorton, so everyone back to cardio - double time.

Before I forget....I weighed 129 this am (just for you Eli)!!!

3rd Place Finish!!!

It's 9am on Sunday morning, I'm still full from last night's food extravaganza!! The final result of 3rd place is settling in, everyone wants first....but it's what will make me come back for more, not only to perfect my imperfections, but to be back on stage.  Highlights of game day:  having my girls see me on stage, my hubby's excited face, having my mother-in-law's calming presence, hearing Annette's exuberant voice, and eating trail-mix with Mark during the night show.  Priceless moments: when Dev, Betty, Kitty, Mark and  Linda didn't recognize me, Tess doing my makeup, Chelsea's chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, Paige loving my blue suit!

Coach mandates two weeks off diet, then go with vengeance for the Yorton Cup 10/29, whereby we will grace the same stage!

One last thank you to all of you who supported me during these last 16 weeks and for the many text messages yesterday!!

over and out......gonna go get a donut with my girlies!!

Into the home stretch!!

The final week has arrived, to begin I got to carb deplete - carbs were dropped to 30grams per day.  Thank goodness for television in my bedroom, between my final days of cardio and with the absence of carbs, moving was only done out of necessity.  The bright light of last week was coming home to flowers from my biggest fans, my family, along with an inspirational note with the countdown.......words cannot express the way that warmed my heart and gives me more incentive to make them proud of me. A huge clue that I'm close to being ready is that complete strangers have complimented me on my arms!

I can only wonder what training will be like this week, coach has something up his sleeve......posing will be my main focus with the added bonus of show prep  - protan here I come!!  Tanning will begin on Wednesday, there should be some comedy that will arise, mostly due to people's reactions of lily white gone a warm shade of brown, Eli is going to be so jealous!

If you can make it Saturday, dress to impress........wear your Body Shop gear!!  Women's Open Body Building is my category, and looks to be towards the end of both pre-judging and finals.  Here is the address:


Charles H. Flowers Auditorium
10001 Ardwick Ardmore Rd, Springdale, MD 20774
Prejudging: 10:30AM Finals: 5:00PM

Peace and much love

2 Weeks Out!!

As I try to contain my excitement going into week two the effects of my decreased caloric intake start to show, my energy level is near that of a turtle.  This week I'm buying my snacks that I have been craving for weeks; jar of peanut butter, energy bars from Buzz, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies from Mom's, a request to my dear friend Jennifer for her famous chocolate chip cookies, to my blonde mama's brownies, and from Paigepoo a date at Five Guy's!

Training last week had high's and low's.  My squat was back to 225 for 10 reps 2x!  Coach made slight change in regime, dropping reps with an increase to weight - having only two heavy sets vs three.  This is my final week of leg exercises, for those of you who know me I LOVE training legs, so the week prior to competition I must let them rest.....which will be difficult!

12 days and counting down........

Three weeks out!!

Finally......weight drops into the teens, barely!!  My diet thus far has been nothing short of a science experiment, to increase or decrease calories, add or subtract cardio, being out of the game for 20 years has had it's challenges.  My monthly female fluctuations and body changes since having children, have probably been my most difficult obstacles to put into perspective, let me not forget patience too!

I settled into training last week putting my focus in the forefront.  Posing started to shape up and I actually started to feel a little more comfortable.......my usual audience was not limited too but did include an occasional daughter, two pugs (one who insists on standing between my feet), and my constant coach who is learning more and more about me in our ever expanding repertoire of athletic endeavors together.  A special thank you to Chelsea for sitting beside me while I did my cardio this weekend, love that.

The creative add executives at Blue Bunnie, Dairy Queen, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut, have increased my  food wish list to an all new high, gee I couldn't thank them enough......you would think that HGTV would be free of food commercials, thanks again......all I really wanted was chips and a huge salad from Uncle Julio's!

Well at least I have something to wear!!

The long awaited posing suit bottom half arrived this week and now I can obsess about something else!  Getting through week five was better than expected, based on the caloric deficit.  The four final weeks ahead will bring even more challenges for which I am trying to mentally prepare for.

Training was a relief this week, changing the program to each exercise having a couple of light warmups then doing 3 sets of 15 reps.  As an example: my squat going from an average of 225+ dropped to 185 3x/15reps.  I dropped my cardio off (hooray) to non-training days, my normal energy level  seemed to return by Wednesday. Not sure what coach is doing with my diet, still at 960 per day, there has been talk of a slight change but won't know until Sunday or Monday.  Posing seems to be coming along, coach is really putting in some over time......I believe I finally annoyed him by working a piece of gum during the silence of my relaxed pose, lol!! A new experience for both of us, gum is my focus tool!

My life seems to be in increments of 2.5hours (my time between meals), laundry, gardening, grocery store, writing this blog, etc....anything to pass the idle time.  I even looked at fabric swatches for my other posing suit for over an hour, pretty much anything that doesn't require a lot of energy but includes a piece of gum!!!

Into the final month we go........

The art of the stomach vacuum.....

Week 6 comes to end and still no posing suit........it arrived, however, bottoms still incorrect and leaves me with several descriptive adjectives I would rather not share, let's just say I'm frustrated.  Nightly posing began......and the introduction to the stomach vacuum, which 20 years ago didn't seem like such an issue, but after having children I find that I am not totally in control of my lower abs.  Sparing you the details of awkward and slightly embarrassing body positions, I think I'm getting it!

Training has started to become increasingly difficult, bench press is down to 135 for 5-7 reps, as a competitive power lifter it sure does mess with my mind.  I've often thought about entering an event, at a lighter weight class, just to see if I could get close to the state record.......one thing at a time!

The dreaded "F" word.......food.  My calories will more than likely remain below the 1000 per day for the remaining 5 weeks, the upside cardio may drop off significantly.   Grocery shopping, as you all can imagine, has many challenges even when your not dieting let alone being on such a strict one.  One of my tricks is to go stand in the cheese department (I think I'm going to gag just talking about it) so I will lose my appetite then continue shopping! My family will tell you that I buy all of the yummy looking treats and make them eat it.....of course I need the details of just how wonderful it is!!  I think their fudging the truth by telling me "it's not that great", perhaps it's just cuz I'm being deprived and everything looks over the top, but deep down I know it's because they don't want me to feel bad.....  On the upside, greatest find this week was dill pickles, which are on the approved list, I know your jealous, however, just one carb per baby dill----it's a miracle.  Rice wine vinegar and fat-free roasted red pepper dressing have become my new fav condiments, also low in carbs and zero fat, there really is a god.   Thanks again for all your supportive comments and positive energy!

peace and one love

Who knew I had fat fingers??!!

Week 7 started off by almost losing my wedding band, thank goodness for scotch tape!  My weight seems to be at a standstill although my body fat is going down (as like everyone else, staring at the scale won't help nor does it matter!).  Yes I did increase my cardio to 6x, not too bad and actually feels good.  Taking a few days off of work for the holiday helped me get through another round of caloric deprivation (5 days this time).

Training was not too shabby since my bench increased 10lbs, however, teaching the breast stroke to baby bear (the littlest of the Matthews) was not the smartest choice since my right quad still hasn't recovered.......should have probably stretched more!  Going into week 6 will add daily posing along with some additional stretching and hopefully get my posing suits situated!

Happy 4th of July to you and yours!!! Cheers

Past the half way point...

This past week began with a gum shopping spree, I wonder what the Target checker thought......perhaps extreme halitosis?  Caloric deprivation for 4 days M-Th had me speeding the week up, it was a happy moment when breakfast came on Friday morning.

Coach begins the training week with "we're not trying to break any records this week", in other words it will be a push.  I did not keep track of my daily sets/exercises, mainly focused on keeping the last two sets of each exercise heavy doing 12-15 reps.  Amazing compliment of the week  "your legs have never looked this good since I've known you", being that it was after 2pm, thank you hubbie! Cardio for the week involved two different apparatuses, either elliptical or sprints on the treadmill (30 sec. sprint then 30 sec. rest up to 9 mph), coach made mention of adding another day of cardio for next week.......I'll let you know how it ends up!

Broccoli consumption is at all time high, now that I've been eating it twice a day for many weeks and have become quite the connoisseur......spicy brown mustard makes the best accoutrement, with the occasional dash of ketchup. Although I would love to indulge Patty and Eli's request for a 5:30am drinking game, try another stall tactic Eli.......one more set of lunges you'll thank me later!

Here we go....week 8 begins!

Week 9 had it's challenges of recovery and managed just 4 days of cardio.......this week calories will drop to 960 keeping everything else the same, I see a lot of gum chewing in my future!!!  Rest will be my main focus outside of training as I will start to focus on posing in the up coming weeks.

No highlights to report for training this past week, I tried to conserve energy to prepare for the last half of my show prep.  A quick thank you to everyone for all your positive support, cheers!

The Food Dreams Begin

Week 10 was so great I thought I'd do it again, the real week 9 begins on Monday 6/13!  After the 5 days of cardio this week, and last weekend's deficit my weight clocked in at 123.5.  My body fat is now at lowest mark on our measurement chart, I had often wondered what that would feel like.... Still no food cravings just dreams of shoving m&m's in my mouth, go figure I don't even like chocolate!  We will see what tomorrow brings after the cupcakes come out, as our beautiful Tess turns 17!

Training was not what I would have liked this week, although, my squat was once again the highlight - 275lbs x 6 x 4 (up 10lbs from last week).  Thanks mom (aka Nana) for adding some west coast cardio and huge congrats for your 33lb weight loss!

Drawing inspiration and strength from the Parks and Rakis families, whom are both in the midst of great challenges, keep me grounded beyond words.  Thank you Gibari for your philosophies and putting such great perspective on life, one love.

Made it to the single digits!

Week 10 now complete, added an extra day of cardio for weeks 11/10....week 9 I increase cardio to 5x per week, I'll let you know how that works out!  Yesterday and today was met with the "not so happy" decrease in calories (980), since they are non lifting days and I also sleep a little more (well kind of!).  Thank goodness for my supportive family, they keep telling me the food commercials are not "all that" and "it taste so gross", my food wish list on the night of 8/13 continues to grow!

Training went well most of the week, hanging on to my 265lb squat makes me feel amazing!  Favorite comment of the week, Linda telling me "your looking so compact"!

Week 12 has ended down to 126lbs!

Longest week of record, diet became tough along with cardio being done in the wee hours of the a.m........measurements revealed a one inch loss off each waist, hips, and thighs, not to shabby!! A big thank you to Linda for doing my cardio, keep on spinnin and making me laugh!!

Training  took on a whole new meaning after 18 reps on the leg press @450lbs, apparently I can push a little more than I imagined....thanks hubby (aka "coach" between the hours of 10am-1pm).  There is an expression I think of often, taught to me by an old client Tina, would frequently repeat "it's mommy hurt" "you know when it hurts so bad you want to cry for your mommy"........the recovery from Tuesday's leg workout was all about it!

Cheers everyone and happy Memorial Day!

Where did the week go and only 1/2 lb weight loss

Week 13 checked off the list, cardio was slightly challenging my legs wouldn't move....On a great note, squatted 255lbs (2 sets of 6 reps) still off my all time personal record of 275 for reps and 300 x 1 half rep!  Have to give props to Leonard via hubby, Celsius changed my workouts sold at Vitamin Shoppe  - wild berry flavor has only two carbs! Thanks a milliion!!

In the words of two inspirational clients and heartfelt friends, Patty and Eli,  who have coined many descriptive adjectives........have outdone themselves with this funny number regarding to my current state:  "losing the soft chewy outer coating", what a great way to start my day, much love!!

what....I don't have to drop my calories yet!!!!

Whew....made it thru week 14, weight down to 127 and 10.7% body fat!!  My water/food will remain the same until my weight gets stuck........I will keep my fingers crossed that this won't happen,but the reality is it most definitely will!

Focus, Focus, Focus........

On the tail end of completing week 15, down one pound (128.5), food/water/cardio remained the same.  Cardio was much easier this week, my body is re acclimating hooray!!  Cinco de Mayo certainly wasn't the same without a cadillac margarita, however, my ending meal of the day was a fabulous concoction of egg whites, brown rice, spicy turkey meat, sliced mushrooms, topped with avocado!  Highlights of training this week:

Bench Press: 135lbs    2 sets, 3 reps
Dumb Bell Rows:  65lb top set, 12 reps
Leg Press:  450lbs top set, 12 reps
Dumb Bell Lateral Raise: 22.5lbs top set, 12 reps
Pull-ups: 3 sets, 6-8 reps each
Flat Bench Dumb Bell Press: 60lbs 2 sets, 10 reps
Squat:  245lbs 2 sets, 8 reps

Week 16 done....

First week complete, kept my calories @1200 a day, approx. 120g protein 117g carbs 30g fat, 160oz water, and added back cardio 3x.  Training went well thanks to my amazing husband, he pushed me on my last few reps......my California count won't do anymore!

Incredible find of the week, thanks to client Leigh, Tofu Shiratake noodles.........love them! Found in the fridge section at MOM'S in Del Ray, 40 calories for two servings......I feel like I'm cheating on my diet!

Nearly 16 weeks out, starting weight 129.5 12% bodyfat

Just a few days away from starting my diet for OCB Presidential Cup 2011, August 13th in Washington D.C.