Off-Season Meal Plan

Happy Thursday, Gym Rats! It is a happy day indeed as the workday is almost over and I am taking tomorrow off on PTO. Ahhh I’m feeling relaxed already just thinking about the 3-day weekend ahead J Now that my show schedule is on hold, I’m going to try to make more of an effort to write more informational blogs rather than just personal status updates. Hopefully we can get some good discussions going! Today’s topic is the off-season meal plan.

I’ve come to the point where I have lost count of the number of friends, co-workers, and other acquaintances who have asked me what my daily meal plan looks like. It’s usually people who are trying to get in shape and have finally realized that fitness and nutrition go hand-in-hand. As the saying goes; “abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym”. Well, flat abs anyway…that bulging 6-pack we all want definitely requires some serious core work LOL! “What do you eat on a typical day”, “Do you track your calories”, “Do you drink protein shakes”, “Do you eat something specific pre- and post-workout? These are just some of the many questions I’ve been asked over time and based on my goals when asked, my answer may have changed. In general however, my meal plan stays rather consistent. Thus, I figured it was time to outline a typical day in the life of a Gym Rat’s diet for all those inquiring minds.

First things first, this is not rocket science. Listen to your body. It will tell you when you’re hungry, when you are satiated, and when you are merely cramming-in extra calories to satisfy an emotional need or boredom. Some people are able to eat according to their physical needs while others do better by tracking calories to ensure they stick within the range recommended for their activity level. I personally track both calories AND macros…but that’s another topic for another day. I can hear it now; “Wait, what are macros?”…

Dieting is trial and error. You must play around with your intake (both WHAT you are consuming and HOW MUCH you are consuming) to find the best plan for you. What I outline below is simply what works for me. Take it or leave it. Oh and when I use the term “diet”, I do not mean “trying to lose fat”. To me, my “diet” is simply the meal plan I am currently following. So, here goes. I generally eat simple repetitive meals because it’s easy, they are filling, they satisfy my calorie and macro goals, and most importantly I enjoy them. I have a few different items I swap out for each meal from time to time but here is what a typical day often looks like for me:

Meal #1 – 6:00 AM – ½ cup oats with 1 scoop whey and ½ cup fruit or ¼ cup nuts

Meal #2 – 9:00 AM – 6 oz Greek yogurt with ½ cup fruit

Meal #3 – 11:30 AM – spinach salad with 4 oz chicken breast, ¼ avocado, ¼ cup mandarin oranges, mixed veggies and balsamic dressing

Meal #4 – an apple or banana (usually eaten around 1:00 PM), a Quest protein bar (usually eaten around 3:00 PM), and 1 scoop whey protein (post-workout around 6:30 PM)

Meal #5 – 7:30 PM – 4 oz baked salmon, small sweet potato, and 1 cup asparagus sautéed with EVOO and garlic

Meal #6 – A before bedtime snack that will keep me satiated during my sleep and keep me from waking-up ravenous before my alarm goes off. This is usually an apple or banana with almond butter or lately I’ve been obsessed with having a bowl of casein protein pudding. Yum!

That’s it. Nothing fancy here but all are filling and in my opinion, well balanced meals. It’s really not as much food as it looks like on paper. Over the next few months I’ll probably adjust the quantities depending on how my progress is going in the gym but in general the meals with remain the same. My main concern each day is to ensure that I get adequate protein for my muscle building goals and this plan does just that. If you don’t want to track your entire intake on paper or via a website or mobile app (I use myfitnesspal), simply ensuring that you get a protein source with each of your meals is a great way to ensure that you don’t fall too far behind on this crucial muscle-building macronutrient.

Pretty simple, eh? Feel free to start a discussion below if you have any specific questions or would like to share your personal plan. I’d love to hear from you!

Walking Out Of Spiderwebs

I’m going to pull a total switch-a-roo on you all here. The past few days have been a progressively worse state of mass confusion for me in regards to the Cape Cod Classic. Something I was really excited about only a few short weeks ago suddenly became something I dreaded. I was continuing along with my post-Maine Event diet and workout plan but my head and heart just wasn’t in it anymore. I was exhausted, both physically and mentally, was going back and forth on what to do all week long in my head, and wasn’t sleeping well because of it. When thinking about future plans is causing you more stress than excitement, I think it’s a sign that it’s time to pull the plug. I’m not one to back out of a commitment (and feel a little bit disappointed in myself for doing so) but when I feel that its jeopardizing my own health and I really have nothing to gain by going through with it, taking a step back to recharge is probably in my best interest. It wasn’t about the experience any longer; it was solely about placing higher than I had before and when that is your only goal in such a subjective and unpredictable sport, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. It really hit home yesterday when I was driving back to the office at lunchtime and No Doubt’s “Spiderwebs” came on the radio. While the song is about something entirely different, this verse struck me:

Now it's gone too deep
You wake me in my sleep
My dreams become nightmares
'Cause you're ringing in my ears

That might sound like a bit of an exaggeration but it’s truly how I was feeling. The self-motivation just wasn’t there anymore and if I wasn’t giving it my all, I knew it would show through on stage as I’ve never been any good at hiding my true feelings in my facial expressions. It also didn’t help that my friend who I was planning on travelling and competing with suddenly was unable to go and while that shouldn’t have mattered (I had planned to do the show on my own long before she had decided to do it), it just added to my lack of interest in going through with it. My main goal of doing the CCC was to take one last stab at getting my pro card this year. While I know that my physique is in its best shape ever and I would have brought an even tighter package than at the Maine Event, so would the other competitors who were now planning to do both shows so I didn’t feel that this was a realistic goal any longer. Over the week I asked a few people who I thought might have some good advice for me and each time I just got the typical “go for it”, “you got this girl”, or “I think you have a shot” comments. I knew these people were just trying to be supportive but seriously, I rarely ask people for their opinion so when I do, I want honesty. Flattery isn’t going to get me anywhere. Finally yesterday one person laid it all out on the line in a straight-up manner and agreeing with his comments entirely, I decided to pull the plug. So, if you’re reading this thank you! I really appreciate when someone can tell you the facts without being critical, falsely flattering, or trying to persuade you one way or another.

In hindsight, I never should have signed myself up for the Maine Event. I got caught up in the excitement of seeing everyone’s back-and-forth Facebook chatter and after taking on the task of helping out a new competitor prepping for the event and being asked a bazillion times in the gym whether I was competing or not, I decided to jump the gun and add it to the list. If I had just focused all my efforts on the CCC, the outcome may not have been any different but I think I would have ended my competition season on a better note with a larger and more exciting event with less backstage drama. Looking back, something I really enjoyed about doing shows out-of-state this year is that I didn’t really know anyone else competing in bikini at the same time as me. I think my mental game stays on track a lot better when I don’t know who my competition is and it’s easier to just focus on myself. Coulda, woulda, shoulda…we live and learn I guess!

I think by Tuesday I had already realized that I no longer wanted to go through with it and the only thing holding me back was the money already invested. The show promoter was extremely nice and understanding and refunded my entrance fees. The tanning service was another story and I am taking a reluctant loss on that. I’m trying not to think about it but I can’t help but be bitter. I know their policy is no refunds but I would think a small company would entertain the occasional unusual circumstance for a repeat customer who even suggested, rather than a straight-up refund, to transfer the slot to another competitor or hold the deposit for a future show. Thanks for the understanding. You just lost my business (and likely that of anyone who asks me about your service in the future) for good.

So anyway, I’ve now entered the off season. Once I made my final decision yesterday I felt like a huge weight was being lifted off my shoulders and thus I knew I had made the right decision. I feel like I’m walking out of spiderwebs now rather than walking into them! It may seem lame to back out only a little more than week out but I truly think it’s for the best. I celebrated with an iced skim latte yesterday afternoon…man that dairy was good! I’m slowly increasing my calories and am going to try to build certain areas over the next 6 months or so before I entertain the idea of doing another show. I altered my October lifting plan last night, decreasing my scheduled cardio, and am forcing myself into mandatory Friday rest days! Aside from show weekends, I honestly cannot remember the last true rest day I took. My body needs it badly; especially my poor shins which I hope will finally heel so I can get back to building my booty!  My x-rays did finally come back and showed no visible bone fractures. I could go back for more thorough tests but I think it’s most likely just really bad splints that need rest to heal.

All-in-all aside from my latest change of heart and the ups-and-downs that come with competing, I feel that it’s the best decision I’ve ever made for myself. It gives me a constant goal and keeps me on track living a nutritiously and physically healthy lifestyle. I’ve met great like-minded people and made a lot of positive changes in my life. I still have things to work on but that’s just a part of life. Now that I don’t have a show in mind I can relax and spread my focus to other areas that are in need of serious improvement such as career! I’ll now have a little more time to focus on attracting new clients to FitFiercefun.com and allow myself a little more fun socializing on the weekends since I won’t be so exhausted and can have the occasional cocktail without feeling guilty about it. Anyway, I know this was a long post but I think writing these blogs are more for my own benefit than anything else. Sometimes writing things out is the best way to clear my head and regroup. Closure if you will. It’s Friday and not only am I not going to the gym, I am going to enjoy some delicious high-carb sushi for dinner tonight! Cheers to the weekend J

Working Out vs Training

Do you workout or do you train? Is there a difference? I think there is. I was thinking about this the other day and thought it was time I wrote a blog about it. Well, that and I don’t feel like doing shit in this office as the vent above me pumps out ice cold air in October.

So what do I see as the difference between the two terms? Well for one, lots of people workout. Working out simply means doing something active for the sake of one’s overall health and wellbeing. It could be inside or outside of a gym, varied in nature, and doesn’t typically follow any set schedule. For example, one might say to themselves; “I think I’ll hit the gym tonight to burn off the pizza I had last night”. Working out may be done out of habit, mere enjoyment, or guilt. Some folks may workout on a regular basis while others may do so sporadically. There’s nothing wrong with working out. In fact, just by being an occasional exerciser you are already 10x better off than most sedentary Americans. I consider myself prior to a year ago to be a habitual worker-outer as opposed to being in training. I hit the gym nearly daily and ate what I considered to be a generally healthy diet in order to maintain a slim physique but without much knowledge of the correlation between training hard and appropriate nutrition on a macro level, my physique wasn’t improving in the manner in which I desired. Training is a whole other ballgame.

When one is in training they have a set goal in mind. Anyone could be in training; an athlete (competitive or not), someone trying to change their body composition, lose a lot of fat, come back after an injury, or simply change their lifestyle are all examples of people in training. Someone in training has a set plan to follow. After all, how can you achieve your goals without a clear view of how you will achieve them? For me, I have a set diet plan that I alter depending on my phases of training. My phases as a bikini competitor include shredding (leaning-out and losing body fat for a show), bulking (building muscle in the “off-season”), and then of course the concept of focusing my training on particular areas of my physique that I want to improve upon the most (mostly glutes and shoulders at the moment). Training also means a no excuses approach to achieving your goals. It doesn’t matter if you’re tired or just aren’t in the mood. You get in there and blast out your workout according to plan no matter how you are feeling. 9x out of 10 you will leave feeling a million times better than when you started. After all, the only workout anyone ever regrets is the one that didn’t happen, right?

So, in short, one who trains is also working out. One who is working out is not necessary training. Either way, train insane or remain the same!