It's about time...

So, I am finally starting this. I keep up on the boards and watch other people but I guess I am a bit intimidated. I have been actively working out since the beginning of the year. I joined a new gym (Iiused to work out at the base for free but they have no child care so it was hard after the baby). I joined a fitness challenge at my gym and really worked hard . I had a nice kid for a trainer and did make progress just not as much as I wanted. My diet has been hard because their plans are all omni based. I started looking things up online and found you guys. Then I read about the vegan bros competing here in Phoenix. I decided I have to go and watch and I was really psyched. Then I started looking up info on the competition and thought "hey I want to do that". I saw the figure section and there is no major posing or routines and thought "now I have to do that". Everything fell into place. We got a great tax return so I could afford the extra training, supplements, suits, tanning, and fees. I had already payed for the trainer for the challenge at the gym so why not keep it up and push it harder. My schedule was also falling into place. My husband had just gotten back from a tour in the middle East and had some time off then when he did go back to work his schedule was great. This has never happened before. Usually my life runs around everyone else. I spent years putting myself on hold with 3 kids (2 autistic) and a military (Reserves) husband. Plus he is a Corrections Sergeant at a prison, so I have to attempt to have a life around everyone else. I also have NO help. No family and few useful friends. Then my trainer quit. But it was a blessing, another trainer asked for me and he is a former bodybuilder and has many years of experience training. To him, I'm the kid. He works me so hard. I have a 1 on 1 session once a week and a small group session once a week, plus he writes up workouts for me to do on other days. Then I do a big group workout on Saturdays. I try to get my cardio in right after my strength training but if I can't I try to go back later for it (especially if there is something good on tv I can't miss, then I have to stay on the elliptical until it's over). I was eating clean but cleaned it up even more. No more Cliff builders bars, so sad, but that's almost 300 calories I don't get. I just ran out of vega and am not sure if I should get more. I use the sunwarrior and another rice protein powder. I am just lost on my food. Mock meats have loads of sodium (I tried making seitan from scratch, bad bad bad). I just need to get this fat off so bad and and having a hard time. All the cutting diets I see say no fruit, no carbs, just chicken, fish, you all know the drill. So, I hope you all post and help me figure out the best way to eat. right now I do tofu with pico de gallio (I was using salsa but I hear stay away from soduim), and tempeh, I steam broccoli and put on nutritional yeast for my b12 and some extra protein and all that good stuff it has, I also have leafy greens, carrots, too many nuts (cutting back or off). I took from many logs having oatmeal for breakfast. It changed my life. I feel so good in the morning now. I add stevia and cinnamon. Stevia is my friend. I take a multi-vitamin, grapeseed extract, echinacea, iron, calcium and pyruvate (I don't think it works). I take glutamine, BCAA and L-carnitine. So That's my story in a nut shell. Thanks.

hey sweetie! Getting ready for a comp from the ground up can take a while, and there is certainly a lot of learning the hard way. I ate what i thought was "clean" for my goals for about a year and made little progress, then i hooked up with veggieprincess here on the forum and although the diet is NO FUN (hey at least im honest) there are ways to perk it up and it has made all the difference in the world to me. Shes very affordable and an absolute peach. I highly highly reccomend her. I imagine her, in conjunction with the trainer that you have would do you wonders! I also have a million little tips and recipes that ive come up with myself. PM me if you want. I'm rooting for you!

Thanks Dani. I emailed Veggieprincess and hope she is willing to take me on.

Yesterday March 18, 2009

Leg day

5 min warm up on bike

#1 45 degree leg press - 90lbsx 3 sets x 20 reps

45 x 2 x 20

Hack Squat - No weight 5x 20

#2 Free motion squat - 120 x 5 x 15

leg extensions - 55 x 1 x 20, 65 x 3 x 15, 70 x 1 x 15

#3 prone leg curls 4 x 20 x 20

straight leg barbell dead lift 4 x 30 x 20

I went back later and did 40 min of cardio on the elliptical plus calves but forgot to write it down.

I think it was standing calf raise 55 x 6 x 10 then seated calf raises 2 sets forgot the weight.

I am really bad about writing things down. My usually writes things up for me and I just do it. He busted my butt yesterday. First I almost cried then I almost puked. I put all my food into spark people so I just copied the page and dumped excessive information.

Food

Breakfast:

Quaker Oats - Quick 1 Minute - Dry, 0.5 cup

NutriBiotic Vegan Chocolate Rice Protein, 1 tbsp

Breakfast TOTALS: 207 29 3 17

Lunch:

Manitoba Harvest Hemp Seed, 1 tbsp

Lettuce, red leaf (salad), 4 leaf outer

Red Ripe Tomatoes, 1 plum tomato

Nutritional Yeast, 1 tbsp

Private Selection Organic kidney beans, 0.33 cup

Mushrooms, fresh, 2 medium

Lunch TOTALS: 216 26 6 17

Dinner:

NutriBiotic Vegan Chocolate Rice Protein, 1 tbsp

Garlic, 0.5 clove

Red Ripe Tomatoes, 0.5 medium whole (2-3/5" dia)

Cilantro, raw, 1 tbsp

House Organic Tofu, Extra Firm, 42.5 gram(s)

Private Selection Organic kidney beans, 0.33 cup

Dinner TOTALS: 196 20 2 23

Snack:

NutriBiotic Vegan Chocolate Rice Protein, 1 tbsp

Snack TOTALS: 57 2 0 12

Snack 2:

Garlic, 0.5 clove

Red Ripe Tomatoes, 0.5 medium whole (2-3/5" dia)

Cilantro, raw, 1 tbsp

House Organic Tofu, Extra Firm, 42.5 gram(s)

Private Selection Organic kidney beans, 0.33 cup

Banana, fresh, 0.5 extra large (9" or longer)

NutriBiotic Vegan Chocolate Rice Protein, 1 tbsp

Snack 2 TOTALS: 266 38 3 24

snack 3:

Mushrooms, fresh, 2 medium 8

Lettuce, red leaf (salad), 4 leaf outer

Red Ripe Tomatoes, 1 plum tomato

Nutritional Yeast, 1 tbsp

Private Selection Organic kidney beans, 0.33 cup

Manitoba Harvest Hemp Seed, 1 tbsp

snack 3 TOTALS: 216 26 6 17

CALORIES CARBS FAT PROTEIN

Totals: 1,159 141 20 111