I get a ton of emails and messages asking what my diet is. To be honest I no longer consider my nutritional choices a diet by any means. I started the IIFYM *If It Fits Your Macros* Lifestyle back in September.

I eat whatever I want now. I just make sure that my macros are met each day. This does not mean I eat junk food and veg out on crap all the time. To meet my macro needs I do still have to eat healthy.

My perception of getting lean has changed quite a bit. Let me start from the beginning. I always knew not to starve myself, but last year when I cut weight I constantly felt hungry when I went to bed. I would spend most of my evenings slamming water trying to feel full. I didn’t lose the fat that I wanted in the time frame I had set for myself. To be honest, I was disappointed with my last cut. I felt like I lost not only some fat, but some of my muscle. I was always irritable, because I was always hungry. My cut wasn’t just hard on me, but my body as well as my mind.(Not to mention my husband ha ha ha) Don’t get me wrong, I was happier with my body and the fat loss, I had just expected to be further.

I did my last cut in I think 14-16 weeks. I ended my last cut I think at 134lbs and around 20%BF. I didn’t feel lean at all. And I was ready to eat when it was over lol. With that being said, I believe that my calories had gotten so low that I did do minor metabolic damage. I gained weight fast when I started to bulk. At the time, I thought it was okay. In my head I was telling myself that it was all muscle, but that was far from the truth. Quite a bit of what I gained was fat. This realization came just before I started this cut. I was pretty upset with myself, because I felt as if I put myself right back where I was before. I started this cut with higher calories, with the fear that I was going to have to drop them really low again and I didn’t want to go that route, because I remembered how miserable I was before. With wanting to compete successfully and thinking this was how to do it, I started to feel like maybe this wasn’t the lifestyle for me…..

I started following many who were posting things on Facebook about IIFYM I had no clue what this meant. At first I thought it was a bodybuilder joke, that I didn’t get. I thought when someone said they were eating these “Cheats” it was on a cheat day. I was seeing more and more about it. So like I always do, I researched it. I came across a plethora of before and after results. people posting that they were eating more and doing little to NO cardio. I was like wait….WHAT!?!?!

So I started figuring out IIFYM. Basically, I am still watching my macros as far as protein, fat and carbs go. Now I also watch my fiber count.  I do not stress about what I am eating, as long as I hit my macros and to do that, I have to eat healthy most of the day. There is some leeway for certain treats on some days. No longer do I have to lock up the peanut butter. I can have a beer if I choose. These again, are sometimes treats, but if I can fit them in my macros, I no longer feel guilty. Yes, my cut is taking much longer, but I no longer feel sick, have headaches, irritability, or am exhausted. I feel like I can enjoy myself. I can go out to eat with my family without watching everyone else indulge. It has been a huge change. Instead of feeling like I need to lose 4-5lbs a week I aim for 1lb. I hit that goal every week and I feel that my progress albeit slow, is much better than last year! I am already at a lower weight and body fat%, so I am stoked! I do recommend those looking for a healthier and more manageable alternative to nutrition to check into it. I use the IIFYM calculator on IIFYM.com CLICK HERE It is easy and quick. It figures your macros perfect! I go back and change it up every 5lbs lost, so I will go back in and change my macros when I hit 129lbs. There is a ton of info on this website and on the internet in general if you just google it. My favorite person to follow is Dr Layne Norton. He has such vast knowledge about nutrition. His blog and youtube channel were ultimately my deciding factor  in changing my ways. Hope this sheds more light into what’s going on in my little world

Have a fabulously fit day!!!! xoxo

I haven’t posted a progress report since October 25th. I figured now is as good a time as any

I am my own worst critic, as well typically are. I have a hard time seeing my progress in the mirror week to week. What I see is completely different from what my husband sees. He is awesome at pointing out my progress and taking the blinders off so I can better evaluate my progress. Although I know I am taking this process slowly, part of me just wants that prized body and in my head I feel I should be so much further. I always have to remind myself to take a step back and slow down. I truly have made it far and need to remember that!

On October 25,2013 my results were…..

• 139 lbs
• Waist 28 1/4
• Hips 32 3/4
• Thighs 18 3/4
• Calves 13
• Arms Flexed 13
• Arms Relaxed 12
• Body Fat 17.1%

As of yesterday …..

• Weight 132
• Waist 27 3/4
• Hips 32
• Thighs 18
• Calves 12 3/4
• Arms Flexed 13
• Arms Relaxed 11 3/4
• Body Fat 16.5%

Had some hiccups as far as hitting my proper macros over the holiday, which I had actually planned. I am by no means going to beat myself about it. I am happy with my progress thus far and will continue the same route I have been on. I have been using the iifym calculator on http://iifym.com/ to figure my macros up. I readjust them after every 5lbs lost. I have been feeling great about this cut so far and happy I chose this route over the way I did it last year. I am going to bed full every night and I don’t feel I am sacrificing or missing out on anything anymore, which makes the process easier! I had originally planned on competing in St Louis in March, but unfortunately life had put a road block on those plans. We can not afford the travel expenses. Not a big deal, because in July there is a competition right here in Springfield. I had already planned to enter it as well, I was just planning on it being my 2nd competition not my 1st. I do still plan on competing 2x next year. I will just be planning the 2nd competition to be closer to home than STL.

Like I said, I am happy with my progress thus far and will continue to take it slow and steady. One pound a week has been working out great. I am feeling leaner without feeling weaker, which is awesome!

Zoe has been enjoying learning to pose and always insists on having progress pictures too ha ha I love this girl so much xoxo I can see the progress and that my body is slimming down and tightening up. I will continue on this road, because it is working and I am happy with this lifestyle! As always I am also forever grateful to those who have donated to my competition fund

I am also extremely grateful to my sponsor  Saturn Supplements and the faith they have in me!!!

I hope you all have a fabulously fit day xoxo

Smile it’s Monday!

Hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend!!!! Now it’s back to the grind Before we get to it, I want to announce the Detour bar winner….

Paula V.

Congratulations!!!! I have sent you an email and am excited for you to try out the new bars!!!

Now let’s get motivated!!!!! As always I start with Lady Swole Monday Be sure to check out Hope Trask’s Facebook page to see all the phenomenal ladies who participate!

Hope you all have an amazing day!!!!

We are excited to welcome December! Even though it is such a busy busy month, we are HUGE fans of Christmas!!!! We love to decorate, listen to the beautiful classic music, cuddle from the cold, eat wonderful foods, give gifts, and celebrate the birth of Christ.

This month is going to be a big goal month too! I have a lot I need to accomplish in the next 31 days….

1. Wrap presents. I am so thankful that we were able to complete our Christmas shopping in October! It makes this month much easier!!! We do not celebrate Santa Claus. To Zoe he is just another character in a book like the Grinch. With that being said, Zoe gets a gift or two added to the bottom of the tree everyday until Christmas. She must behave and have a great day to get the gift added. She is a great kid, so this is pretty easy for her We also made advent ornaments for the tree so she will get to open one everyday till Christmas. Luckily with this method, I can get away with only wrapping one or two a day. 
2. I have mentioned we are moving again…. The original plan was to move to downtown Springfield. Then another market showed interest in Josh and he strongly considered moving us to Florida (Which may still happen, just not this year). The market we are in now sweetened the pot for us to stay here for another 12-15 months. However, we decided that with all of our financial burdens and the low costs of apartments here, we would be better off going that route. Many of the lofts were either full of kids partying, or they were more expensive. We found a fabulous apartment complex actually down the road from where we live now. Much cheaper, luxury apartments, quiet area, still close to everything, and they actually have a 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment coming up for the exact date we need it. We filled out all the paperwork, so fingers crossed that even though we both have less than stellar credit, we can still get in! Either way, it is time to start packing and going through our stuff to sell, donate, and trash. We know the right thing to do is aim to get a much lower monthly rent. Apartments are great, because they include most of your utilities and this one has a ton of perks. We actually enjoy moving, so this isn’t much of a chore ha ha ha 
3. Managing my time better. This has been a struggle for the past few months. I am not, nor have I ever been organized in this house. For whatever reason I just seem to be all over the place here. I am hoping as we get things packed up and out of the way, I can be better about it. My time management is also a bit off, because Zoe’s lesson plans have become much more in-depth. She has been wanting to learn to read, so we have been working hard on that. It takes much more of my time and attention (which isn’t a bad thing at all) Plus we have always had lesson time in the sun room, which with it being winter is now frigid. I need to get everything back on a normal schedule so I can get everything done. Being sick most of last month didn’t help either grrrrrr 
4. Staying on track with my diet and training. With the IIFYM lifestyle, it hasn’t been hard at all. Plus, unfortunately my family has cancelled their trip down for Christmas, so like Thanksgiving it will just be the 3 of us. We are fine with that though It actually has made the holidays less stressful and we can just lay around in jammies ha ha ha ha 
5. Not stressing out about everything so much. I need to remember that God has a plan and that getting bent out of shape about things will not change what is going to happen. I need to just allow life to take it’s course, hold my head up high, learn the lessons that need to be learned, and SMILE  

Please be sure to check out my sponsor Saturn Supplements CLICK HERE to check out their Facebook. Please let them know I sent you!!!!!

Goodness this month went by fast! Heck this year is flying by!!!! Time to check in with my monthly goals and see how I tallied up…..

My first goal was to stick to my healthy lifestyle, but enjoy my Thanksgiving in moderation. I did enjoy my Thanksgiving this year! It was just the 3 of us, so we did not prepare a crazy huge meal. It was enough goodies for us to feast on for a couple of days. I ate my favorites and felt great! I hit the gym Friday and truly felt strong as ever! I never felt guilty and that made this holiday so much better!!!

Next, I have been concerned with our money management. Our family’s needs come before my dreams and aspirations of becoming a figure competitor. We have a long list of bills that we have been behind on and are slowly getting paid back up/off. It hasn’t left much funding for the things I need or will need. I am trying to ease the burden of my competition costs by starting a Go Fund Me account. I have been blessed so far with it. It has allowed me to purchase my suit and my shoes! www.vizioncouture.com was also a huge blessing since they had such a phenomenal Black Friday sale! 50% off made my suit SO much more affordable!!!

I again have been a bad blogger. I had another slammed month, which I am sure December will be the same. Seems with Zoe getting older I have my hands full and am constantly running or have something going on. Her homeschooling is much more in depth which has taken up a lot of my morning time. I need to figure a way to better balance my time. I am trying hard to not allow my blog to sit on the back burner. Hoping after this next move I can be better about that!

My last goal is teaching Zoe to be more thankful ALL the time. With our proposed move coming up, this will be a great way to expand on that lesson! We usually clean house before we move, meaning we go through everything we own and decide what needs to be sold, donated, and trashed. In the past few years Zoe has been too young to understand where her old clothes and toys were going. This year she is going to help me choose which toys need to go and we will explain to her why we give them to other children and why it is important to help people in need. She is already a pretty gracious child, but we do not want her to take the things she has for granted.

With being sick yesterday, I had a lot of time to think about what I am grateful for.

I have been teaching Zoe to be thankful for all of our blessings everyday rather than once a year. We sit down every night to pray and tell the Lord thank you for our blessings.

I am thankful for my husband and my daughter. For they have taught me what unconditional love is. What I previously thought I knew about love and relationships was all proven false to me. These two have changed my world and my out look on life.

I am thankful for all of the opportunities my husband has had with his job! They have opened doors that were not available in other industries. He also enjoys his job very much!

I am thankful for always being able to find a lovely home at last min when we move every year. It was difficult to find homes in our price range that met our criteria when we had Beardog, so it is a blessing that we always seemed to make it work.

We thought we had a plan for a better home for Beardog. We move a lot and the stress seemed to be affecting him. When we took him in we found out there were circumstances beyond our control and Bear wasn’t able to be adopted. The circumstances left us to make a decision we were not ready to do. Sadly he was put down.We love Bear more than anything, but know that it was best for him. He was no longer healthy. I am thankful that we were able to provide him with a loving family. I am thankful we had the chance to say goodbye. I am also thankful that he cared for my baby and loved her so much. He was and always will be her guardian angel. One that will always be in our hearts xoxo

I am thankful that we were blessed with Charlie. We found him at just the right time and he has been detrimental to all of us healing with the loss of Bear

I am thankful for our Parents who always love and support us

I am thankful for all of the friends I have old and new! I have met some amazing people in this lifetime! Many over the past couple of years, some only online and I feel so blessed to know each and every one of you!

I am thankful for the continued journey I am on and the phenomenal support I have had from some in the fitness community! I have some amazing mentors who have been guiding and teaching me so much! Some who are in the NPC some are IFBB. Pro or not they have showed me love and support and I am forever in their debt!

I am thankful to have my daddy for another year. He is still sick, but he is a strong champion and continues to fight and love life!

I am thankful for all of you who take the time to read my ramblings and follow my journey. Your love and support means more than you can ever fathom!!!!

I am thankful for my sponsor Saturn Supplements for also believing in me and continuing to help me reach my goals and dreams!

 I am thankful to those who have generously been donating to cover the odds and ends of my journey to the stage. It truly means so much!

The proceeds I have made so far actually went to cover my suit and shoes. They were both ordered last night. If you are looking, Lester at Vizon Wear is having a Black Friday sale it will be going on till midnight on Friday! He is the best in the business and has phenomenal suits at remarkable prices and hands down the best customer service out there! http://www.vizioncouture.com

Last but not least I thank God for every blessing good and bad that has led me to where I am today! I hope you all give thanks where it is due and have a fabulously fit day and Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

I so look forward to Mondays! Especially after the weekend I have had :-/ Most hate Monday, so here……

Josh was sick Friday and Saturday. I spent Saturday and yesterday sick with a rambunctious toddler who had no intention of allowing me to rest.

Today is a new day and I am still a little under the weather, but ready to hit the gym!!! As always, let’s kick it off with Lady Swole Monday. 

Hope you all have a fabulously fit day xoxox

So you may remember back in January of this year I quit taking my birth control, because I was concerned how it was affecting my progress. You can CLICK HERE to read more.

I wanted to update how my body has changed since then.

These are my progress pics from January around the time I quit my birth control.

Although I still have some body fat to burn off, I feel I have made huge strides in this past year!

You can see I have put on quite a bit more mass, granted I have bulked since then. I still feel like my body is trying to get adjusted and back to normal. The before pictures were at the end of my last cut and I actually weigh the same now as I did then. My headaches have subsided, acne is SO much better, dizzy spells have stopped, and my weight is no longer a struggle. My emotional issues are still something I am working on. They have improved, but I am still not like I was pre BC. I can remember  time when PMS wasn’t even a word in my vocabulary, but now is something I struggle with.

I hate snapping on Josh and even worse Zoe not to mention crying over the dumbest things, so this is something I am still working hard on getting back under control. I do NOT want Zoe learning these behaviors, nor feeling like she or Josh have to walk on egg shells around me. I hate how being on “The Pill” has affected my body so much. My doctor said it would take a year or two to feel like myself again. It is amazing how these things truly take a toll on your body! Hopefully I will be back to normal sooner than later I do still feel that they had a negative impact on not only my progress, but my overall health.

Do you take Birth control? What are your thoughts on them? Do you make you feel different? Do you have hormonal moments that you wish you could take back?

I have been noticing a trend on social media lately. Seems as if there is more hating than support going on in the fitness world. I have so many friends who have different means of staying in shape, but it seems that each group is it’s own little clique. Be it Crossfit, Bodybuilding, Power lifting, etc….. for some reason there is a mentality of “I’m better than you because I _____”

I personally feel that every means of fitness is great! I love weight training and bodybuilding. What I enjoy and what works for me, may not be what makes someone else happy. I feel that everyone should find the fitness plan they enjoy, so they can stick to it.

If you enjoy Crossfit, that is awesome! If you prefer powelifting, great! There is no reason that we can’t all be supportive of each other. We are all on a journey and all have goals. Belittling someone because they choose a different fitness route than you is immature and ridiculous. Most need to choose their words wisely, because you might be crushing someone else’s self esteem or worse their dreams….

My passion for fitness stemmed from the positivity in the community. Seeing a lot of the hateful comments and even memes lately just has me disgusted with how ugly people can be. I see many comments on photos of some of my female bodybuilder and power lifting friends, telling them they look disgusting or look like men. I see bodybuilders posting memes knocking Crossfit as if it is beneath them. I just think that we should all band together in support of one another. We have chosen a healthier lifestyle and that is most important! Social media makes it so easy for bullying to happen and we need to put a stop to the hate! I found this a few days ago and LOVE it!!!!

I think we need to start being more supportive of each other and continue to grow our fitness family xoxox Hope you all have a fabulously fit day!!!!

Been a long weekend for me, so I am ready for Monday!!!!

I spent the past two days fighting a cold off. Zoe likes to kiss all the kiddos she meets in the gym daycare, so she is always bringing home something ha ha ha. We need to work on that We are feeling much better and ready to train hard! Let’s get motivated!!!!

Lady Swole Monday is always a great way to start the week

I am 37% to my goal and still in need of help. If you or someone you know can spare a dollar or two and would love to help me out, it would be greatly appreciated!!!! xoxo

Thank you all for the love and support xoxo

I get a TON of emails/Facebook messages. I love getting them, even when some are nasty ha ha ha. I have asked for advice, so I don’t mind paying it forward, when someone asks me.

However, I am NOT a trainer NOR nutritionist. I can give advice, but I will not make a training program nor a diet plan for anyone. What I do for myself, is what I have researched through books, online and asking professionals in the industry. None of which makes me a professional in any sense of the word. I always highly recommend doing your OWN research and finding out what works for you.

It is easy to ask people how to do something, but if you do not understand the fundamentals of WHY you are doing those things, then you will always have to depend on someone else for guidance. I am the type of person who loves to learn and understand why I need to eat certain macros, what combination of exercises will maximize my training, what balance of food works best for my body, etc…. I never understood why you would not want to know forwards, backwards, inside, and out, what and why you are doing the things you do. Especially when it is all being done to your body!!!!

I am a stickler when it comes to understanding my diet and training. Balance is important as far as your foods go. I personally do not agree with a low carb, low fat, or low protein diet. Each of those macros are very important for the proper function of your body. I also believe that proper form is always important when weight training. Leave your ego at the door and quit worrying about HOW MUCH or little you are lifting and more about the quality of your lifts. If you have a desire to change your body, I think that is AWESOME!!!! Always do your research with everything. If you have gotten the advice from someone in the industry, research their answer too! Knowledge is power in everything!!!!! If you truly want to change, then stop being lazy and do the work. Meaning, have a goal, research your plan, do the work  not only in the gym, but in the kitchen. To be successful in any venture this is what has to be done! You can’t depend on someone else’s knowledge to guide you through life. They will end up on top and you will still be climbing the mountain. Take charge of your journey!!!!

I hope to see you at the top! Have a fabulously fit day!!!!

My sponsor, Saturn Supplements, was gracious enough to send me out their daily vitamin/mineral packs called One -Source.

Getting your micro-nutrients is just as important as getting in your macro-nutrients. Macro-nutrients are your carbs/fiber, protein, and fat. Your micro-nutrients are your vitamins and minerals. Minerals as fluoride, selenium, sodium, iodine, copper and zinc. Vitamins such as vitamin C, A, D, E and K, as well as the B-complex vitamins.

Macros fuel your body and give you energy. They are called macros because you need them in large quantities. Micros are needed in smaller quantities, hence they are called micros, are needed to fight free radicals in our bodies and to keep our organs like our brain functioning properly. A deficiency in them can cause a negative impact on your health. Hair loss, acne, bruising, anemia, and chronic diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis.

I eat healthy, but I also know that I am not getting the proper amounts of Micro-nutrients from my diet alone. With the One- Source packs I am getting exactly what I need. There are 35 vita/mineral nutrients per pack. I love the fact that they are pre-packaged, it makes them easy to take on the go.

I have taken many vitamins in the past, these have surpassed them all in quality. You get pharma grade sound nutrition from a trusted company that has been in the business for over 20 years. I am proud and honored to be a member of Team Saturn Muscle and thankful for the opportunity to share my opinion on their phenomenal line of supplements!

Thank you to those who have protected our country and our freedoms

It is Motivation Monday and I am ready to get strong!

Be sure to check out NPC Competitor Hope Trask’s Facebook page to get motivated from Lady Swole Monday 

Hope you all have a fabulously fit day xoxo

A few weeks ago Detour Bars contacted me to try out their newest product! I jumped on the opportunity!!! We LOVE Detour Bars!!! I have been fortunate to have tried a few of their bars now. The Lean Muscle bars and Low Sugar last November CLICK HERE and you may remember when I posted about their scrumptious Low Sugar Neapolitan bars in February.  CLICK HERE This time again, have shown that they know exactly what they are doing! I was shipped two boxes of their Smart Bars Apple Cinnamon and Blueberry

They are an awesome go to snack and on the go meal addition. Low in fat, not bad in carbs, you get some protein, fiber, organic, has natural sugar, and for those looking for gluten free options, these are perfect for you!

I love these as a snack option for Zoe. I rarely give her things with artificial colors or flavors. These are sweet enough that she thinks she is getting a treat without me feeling like I am the bad mama ha ha or her acting out later from sugar and additives. It is a huge bonus for both of us. She just LOVES them!!!

I think they are a much better option to breakfast on the go than pop tarts They look like treats too! They are drizzled with a greek yogurt frosting. Makes them more enticing for Zoe for sure lol

They come Zoe approved, so you know they are delicious! Sports Bras and Sippy Cups approved, so you know they are good for you!

Detour wants one of my lucky readers to try both these flavors out for themselves!!!! CLICK HERE to get entered to win!!! I am still in need of help to fund my way to the stage, so if you or someone you know can spare a dollar or two just click my GoFundMe banner on my sidebar. Thank you all for always being so awesome and I hope you have a fabulously fit day!!!! xoxo

Whew! Been a super busy couple of days, but I have enjoyed every second of it!!!

Thursday I took a rest day and we had family fun day. Zoe and I had a little fun while getting ready. I think it is important to show your kids that you can be silly no matter what age and that we need to be comfortable in our own skin.

Zoe loves making silly faces and thought these pictures were hilarious! I am definitely going to have to get them framed and hang them up!

We headed downtown to explore the area as well as some lofts. We weren’t happy at first with what we found. Springfield is a college town. We found out that a lot of the lofts that we were originally interested in are party havens. Not exactly the type of environment we were looking to raise our daughter in.

We also checked out the gym we thought we were going to join, but they only have childcare from 5pm-7pm ie. their busiest time and that just doesn’t work for us. I like to train on MY time not theirs. Luckily there is a huge YMCA downtown too, so we will be checking them out next week.

After more exploring and a few more calls we also found some lofts that are just lovely and perfect for a young family!

The leasing agent was booked so we had to schedule our appointment to see them as well next week. We continued to explore the area around these lofts and Zoe just loved walking the city streets. She is such a people watcher and loved scoping out all the sights!  I was happy that she seemed comfortable in the city.

We even stopped so she and her daddy could enjoy cupcakes from the local cup-cakery lol Yes I took a bite of hers It was AMAZING!!!!

Yesterday I super cleaned my house then a hardcore back training. I love back day and have been seeing huge strides in my back. Today finishing laundry, chest training, and getting some lesson time in with Zoe.

What do you do on family fun days? I take two rest days a week and have recently started splitting them up one on Thursday and one on Sunday. How often are your rest days? What is your favorite training day?

Hope you all have a fabulously fit day xoxo