Why do any of this???

So...if I havent made it clear before I am doing all of this for me. No one else. Self centered. Singular reason. For me. That said, I am not doing it to become a sex object, soft porn star, voyeurs wet dream (sorry had to do it), hustler magazine girl (my boobs arent big enough) or YouTube sensation that teenage boys like to check out and do...well, whatever. Not even close.

I AM doing this because for me...in some way...it shows me that

a.) I no longer have a bit of cancer in my body and my own will, strength and committment makes sure every day it stays GONE

b.) so I continue to have th eenergy to keep up with my family and enjoy every second of my Ben and Maggies little lives. precious moments going by sooo superfast. I dont want to miss ANY OF IT

c.)because honestly being a size 4 is so freakin awesome I cant stand it. Size 12/14 sucked Clothes just look nicer and I can find fun cute stuff.

d.) I inherited bad bad bad genetics...I am running away from them as much as possible (diabetes, depression & heart disease, mostly)

e.) ...and it feels right, fun, and provides a lot of focus to how I go thru my day and manage my life. The physical & mental are highly correlated in my case.

Tho Ive come to this game a little later in life, I believe I found the "right" thing for me. Life's too short not to do things you might be afraid of. when you do them and you "conquer" them it is the most self empowering feeling...ever. There, all for me....

Ok...done...Night!

TINA KICKS ASSS!

So yesterday was POSING practice...yes...it is necessary and gets you completely pumped to get up on stage. If anyone lives in the DC metro area and are interested inor doing a competition TINA PERATINO is da BOMB-no shit. She is the Master of ceremonies in a big way. I adore her energy, her determination & the fact that she shoots straight while at the same time appreciating every client as a beautiful strong woman who is working hard...no shame in that game!

90 minutes of quarter turns & stage walks and Tina gives THE BEST advice. I absolutely hands down trust her to get me thru this process yet again...

Here are my progress pics...I am about 7 weeks out from the NPC Max Muscle competition in woodbridge. Besides looking REALLY tired (note:bags under eyes...) Im feeling pretty good. Weight is 143. (Im almost 5'9") Still cannot seem to maintain ANY muscle mass in my shoulders and I hope & pray as my diet cutting contiues they will come out more. My abs will return as I cut... And my legs & butt should...hopefully...lean out so I have no glute/ham line and that I do get a slightly noticeable quad sweep...Id love input...PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE feel free to post comments...*

*I do not take my self that seriously so please comment or suggest at will.:)

Happy Day!

will post workout-SLAMMIN WORKOUT-lata!!!!

...and theres today!!

Making up for lost time for SURE! Heres my eats & beats...

Meal 1 6:30am: 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup froz blueberries, protein powder pancake (egg whites + 1 scoop protein powder...its actually YUMMY)

Meal 2 8:45am: 1/2 banana + 1/2 schoop protein powder shake + 12 cocoa roast almonds

Meal 3 11:45am (post workout): Low carb Protein shake + 1 grande iced coffee from s'bux (nothing exciting about it...still feels treat-y!)

Meal 4 1:30pm: RED MEAT-4.2 oz lean gr beef + 2 cup salad greens + 1 cup steamed asparagus + 1 whole raw red pepper....

Meal 5 4:00PM: apple + 1 t almond butter

Meal 6 7:00PM:3 oz chicken breast, 1/2 cup egg whites + 1 cup steamed asparagus

WORKOUT-a very long one that I tried to semi condense...ran out of gas and the bicep portion got jipped! All good tho...

BACK/SHOULDERS/BICEPS: warm up 10 mins elliptical on level 15-20 (tried to use my arms as much as possible) did at least 5 sets of every exercise just to use up all the gas....

Bent over barbell rows ss w/Shrugs: 55 x 15 x 1, 65 x 10 x 4

t-Bar rows:25 x 12 x 1, 35 x 10 x 3, 45 x 8 x 2 (did rear lunges in between sets 4 sets of 15)

Lat Pull Down: 50 x 10 x 3, 60 x 8 x 2

Low Row: 60 x 10 x 5

OH Shoulder Press: slow tempo...20 x 10 x 4, 20 x 8 x 1

Cable lateral raise: 20 x 10 x 4 (did ab cable crunches in between sets 100 x 20 x 4-ouch)

1/4 lateral raises: 25 x 20 x 4

DB front raises: 10 x 10 x 2 alternating arm/10 x 10 x 2 both arms together

Body weight dips (heres where I can tell my strength is down:( UGH!) 8, 7, 6, 5...used to do at least 10 per set..UGH!

Biceps:

BB curls: 30 x 12 x 4

Alternating incline DB curl:15 x 10 x 4

Then...I ran out of gas......

Usually, I dont do shoulders with something big like back or legs...it takes too much time and I run out of energy. I usually have about 60-90 mins MAX t workout mid morning so I need to get my stuff done efficiently. Sounds crazy to most people. They ask me how long my workouts are and when I explain that some days they are-spread across both a cardio & weights session-about 2+ hrs long, I get the crazy woman look. If I was younger, didnt have my kookoo health issues, kids-whatever-I could probably do a better job of both stamina & time. But, it is what it is and I do what I do:)

Two months till competition #1. Still anticipate doing the April 23rd NPC show in woodbridge...tho i dont think I will fare that well. NOC appears to like "fuller" and more rounded musculature...me, not so much. I just lean out. So....Ill do it as my "warm up" and see how it goes!

Have a great day! Kick butt!

Katy

Thursdays eats

So, I had an unplanned off day yesterday...sick kids & friends required my immediate attention. It is all good...they come first. Yesterday was actually a FANTASTIC eating day despite the lack of workout. Heres Thursdays eats...

B @ 7am: 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup froz blueberries + 1 whole egg & 1/2 cup egg whites

Snack 10:30am: apple slices (about 1/2 a large apple) + 1 T peanut butter (yummy)

Lunch 1:30PM:5 oz ground turkey (93% lean) + 2 cups salad greens & 1/2 cup steamed (after cooking) spinach + 1/4 cup emerald cocoa roast almonds...I kno these are really off the diet-they are ROASTED not RAW, I kno...but so so good!

Snack 3:30:3 oz chicken breast + 1 cup steamed aspragus + 1 cup raw red pepper

Dinner 5:30PM: 1 cup Butternut squash soup-homemade. Heres the recipe:

"1 whole diced onion, 3 stalks celery-diced, 2 cup diced raw butternut squash, garlic powder, mrs dash, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, 1 container low sodium chicken broth. Cook veggies in PAM stock until transclucent, add in spices & butternut squash. Cook for 5 mins altogether. Pour in entire contents of chick broth. Cook for 30 mins over low med heat. Using immersion blender (when its cooled to room temp) blend the heck out of it...or to the consistency you like. Yummy carbs"

4 oz ground turkey + 1 cup steamed asparagus + 1 cup salad greens..

Worst part was that I didnt eat after dinner. I was full & felt it! bad move. If Im going to keep the muscle mass I have I HAVE to eat some form of protein before bed...goal for Fri...eat protein before bed! now...ONWARD!

Slacker! Weds LEGS!

So...Ive been abit of a slacker. I learned or at least discovered int he fall that I can lean myself down pretty quickly. So, Ive sort of been a bit of a slacker! That said, I have compensated by doing 45-60 mins cardio every morning...foods Ive slacked on-BEER (funny thing is...my weight dropped 4lbs over the weeknd-no working out at all). Again...I dont want to lose anything yet..I NEED to maintaint he muscle mass I have. As soon as I drop weight I get "puny" (a very relative puny!)

Ive been super strict with my workouts but was not feeling it today...which worries me. Weds is ALWAYS leg day and I could barely cut it...and, I am eating like a madwoman-carbs,too..

Heres my eats & beats for today:

5:15-6:00AM elliptical intervals from 10-20.

Meal 1 7:00:Protein bar...actually a balance bar. I was feeling so tired. And, I had to run to the grocery store. Out of soymilk. Also, an iced black eye from s'bux. (I am an s'bux WHORE)

Meal 2 8:30:1/2 cup oatmeal, 1 cup frozen blueberries. 3/4 cup egg whites w/2 oz ground turkey

WORKOUT 9:45-10:40AM:

SQUATS...10 sets...

95 x 12 x 2

115 x 10 x 4

135 x 6 x 4

Stiff Legged Deadlifts...5 sets

95 x 12 x 2

115 x 10 x 3 (fast tempo)

Leg Press (heres where I knew I was tired....could barely eek out all my sets!!! WTH?)

90x 15 x 3

Done. Kaput.

Saw my friend & decided rest was best. Went for coffee. (yes...the whore came out) S'bux grande skinny caramel macchiato. Coffee is the most likely culprit leeching nutrients from my body. Time to knock that shit off!

Grocery store.

Meal 3 12:30: 3 oz chicken breast, 1 cup steamed spinach with garlic, 1/2 cup strawberries

Meal 4 3:10PM: 4 oz ground turkey + 2 cups salad greens

Supplements...Multivitamin, calcium, iron + vitamin C, liquid L-carnitine, glutamine (pre/post wkout)

Meal 5 will hopefully be at 5:30: 4 oz ground turkey, 1/2 sweet potato (no skin)

Meal 6 8:00PM: 1/2 cup egg whites.

My protein consumption is in the crapper. Need to get it back up!

Holy Moley...no posts for a few days...but...here I go!

So...I just found out I am anemic & that my thyroid meds are not enough. fantastic. lovely. joy to the world. Ive been a little tired and a little unfocused recently. Ive also been running out of gas quickly during my workouts-THAT SUCKS! Even Metallica cant fuel me so much...and I truly havent even started diet cutting yet... Good thing is that my meds got upped and little iron + vitamin C should do the trick...within 6 weeks I should be feeling it-oh great. Ill have to propel myself like a mad woman thru my workouts until that time. I am wondeing does anyone use workout "enhancers" like Jackd3D? Thoughts? Any other suggestions? Id really rather not use this stuff but my energy is sucking...

So my eats & beats...

Heres a little tidbit of what I have got going on....

Monday was shoulders...did my standard workout for shoulders & triceps (look back on other workouts & ul see what I mean) but I ran out of gas at the end and know I didnt squeeze every bit of glycogen out of my muscles. I should have pushed harder but ran out of gas. Then, for legs & booty, I did 100 box jumps, 80 rear lunges with 15 lb dbs.

Monday was also Valentines day. After getting the news that I am severely anemic I took it upon myself to have skirt steak fajitas for our dinner out at Austin Grill...minus the rice, tortillas & most of the beans. I ate the meat and veggies...super salty but super yummy. I have no appetite so I forced it down! Breakfast was my standard oatmeal, bluberries & egg whites...

Lunch was 5 oz chicken breasts w/2 cups romaine lettuce. Snack was some kind of power bar...oh and asparagus...always my beloved asparagus...in all the standard quantities!!

Tuesday was back & biceps...again...gas tank has been feeling "un-full" which stinks. I didnt even do standard dead lifts to start-my usual workout routine always includes those progressing the weight up til failure. Nope. not Tuesday. Heres the specific workout:

5:15-6:15am...Treadmill walk-intervals on both speed & incline the entire time. Otherwise its is super boring;(

9am-10:30 Back & Biceps

Barbell rows with an underhand, close grip: 20 x 12 x 4 with 30 seconds of rest in between only

t-bar rows: 1 x 25 x 10, 2 x 35 x 10, 2 x 45 x 10

Bent over single arm rows:30 x 10 x 4, 35 x 10 x 1

LPD:50 x 10 x 3, 60 x 8 x 2

Low Row: 60 x 12 x 4

Assisted Close grip pull ups ( not sure how much weight assisted me but pin was prob 3/4 way up the stack) to failure...close to 50 I think...

Biceps;

Barbell curl 30lbs x 12 x 4 (in between sets threw in abdominal cable crunch 20 @ 100 lbs x 3sets)

Incline Db curls:15 x 10 x 4

Then...off to Maggies school to host a Valentine Party a day late:)

eats...

B @ 7:15...standard oatmeal w/blueberries & egg whites (see a pattern here???)

Preworkout-1/2 Balance bar

Postworkout-didnt have anything but a handful of gummy bears on the way to the party so I majorly screwed my muscles! Then about an hour after the party...and two hours after working out I ate 1/2 a subway turkey sub on whole wheat loaded with veggies & mustard only...

Then for a "snack" about 4 hours later I ate the other half!

Dinner @ 7PM-(crazy day & I wasnt feeling really well..stupd head cold is kicking my butt!) I had a repeat of the breakfast meal.

Wednesday (today)...was SUPPOSED to be a BIG LEGS DAY but my sitter couldnt make it on time, I had too many errands and so...I did only 45 mins cardio (steppmil & treadmill) at 5:15am...no legs...which I am bummed about. My body definitely craves a big workout. I *might* try to lug the kids to the gym this evening but it gets soo crowded and crazy and I pretty much cant stand it. Blah!

So...there goes....OH!!! OH!!! I registered to compete in the Natural North America (INBF) in Alexandria, Virginia on April 30th. First "official" registration Ive completed...so now...no more excuses...time to kick ass & take names...and have fun doing it!!! YAY!

Hope everyone is doing well!!!!

Katy

Cable curl

IM BACK!

So we returned from florida...beautiful sunny and WARM Florida.....I already miss it!!!

It was a relaxing wonderful time and we all really enjoyed ourselves...great beach, pool...yummy eats (and lots of cheats!!)...just awesome. I got the best compliment of my life while we were there...on the beach, in my bikini no less the resort activity director (very handsome man, I might add!) told me when he first saw me he thought I was Jessica Biel!!!!! And, I dont believe he said it to win any favors or hit on me...my husband was there on the beach with me & the kids! I laughed outloud and asked him if he needed glasses. Then, I told him my "schtick"- Im a 39 year old mom of two children, cancer survivor, and have lost over 40 pounds...he was very complimentary of my physique and I was really happy. I work my butt off..and no, I do not think I am that caliber but it was nice that someone thought I looked superfit in my bathing suit (which I am surprisingly NOT self concious in!)

Ok...now I will return to my regularly scheduled programming...EATS & BEATS!

I am too lazy to go get my workout log for Mon-Weds so I will put it simply..

Mon-Chest & shoulders-HEAVY

Tuesday-BACK, abs & biceps-HEAVY

Weds-LEGS...100 squats with weight, leg press, static lunges, leg extensions, hamstring curl...early am cardio 45 mins

Thurs (today) Light weight/high rep bilateral shoulder work, triceps & abs....early AM cardio on the new fancy treadmills 60 mins

Friday:Chest again, 100 lunges, and probably a spur of the moment cardio circuit!

EATS:

Bad bad bad...maybe Ive been consuming 70-90g protein a day...and Ive been feeling it...tired tired tired!

Breakfast is the only meal I consistenly eat enough of and it is always the same:3/4 cup egg whites, 1/2 cup oatmeal with 1/2 cup frozen blueberries & splenda

I always get a protein shake in post workout but otherwise have been skimping on eating beyond 5PM. I KNOW I need more protein and I think I have had enough today so far. I forgot how full it makes me feel!!! Good thing is except for the bite sized laffy Taffys I ate yesterday my diet has been super clean...just NOT enough food!

Oh...and the water consumption has been in the 120 range...I cannot get to a gallon!!

My goals for the next week are to get back to being a super stickler on the diet, eat enough protein for sure!

And, I would just like to say it again I LOVE LIFTING WEIGHTS! If you know any woman who is scared to lift because she thinks she will bulk up PLEASE tell her it is complete bullshit. period.

Hope everyone is great and now time to catch up on all of your blogs!!!!

xo,

K