Happy Wednesday! January is almost half over, can you believe it??
Thank you all for the nice comments concerning my nervousness. I didn’t know I could be so nervous for something that’s so far away, ha, but I’m sure it’ll be here before I know it. I’m looking at two different figure competition shows, one in September, one in October. So … we shall see!
Anyways, I thought it would be a perfect time to share my current diet. Right now, I’m focusing on growing my muscles and bulking up. Around 3-4 months out from the show, I'll then cut down to loose body fat and hopefully keep all my muscle ; )
When switching up a diet for a show, I hear it’s all about trial and error. So for now, per my trainer, here’s what it looks like … I already eat pretty clean and I actually have to eat “worse” than normal during the bulking phase of my contest prep (ha, it’s weird!) The basic differences in my diet are as follows:
- Lots of water. I aim for at least a gallon a day.
- More carbs. Right now I’m at about 300-350g carbs a day.
- Faster digesting carbs. I’ve been eating:
- Spelt bread instead of sprouted bread
- Whole wheat cereal instead of oats
Btw, I really like this cereal thus far! For cereal, the stats are pretty good and it’s really cheap for a healthier cereals. Low sodium and all ; )
- Regular potatoes instead of sweet potatoes.
- Organic white rice instead of brown rice.
- More protein. Right now I’m at about 200g a day.
It’s been really weird eating “worse” than normal but I don’t mind eating more food ; ) Haha.
Here’s a sample day of bulking diet eats …
6:30 a.m. breakfast: 1 cup Honey Nut Toastie-O’s, 1 cup Sweetened Wheat-fuls (see above) in unsweetened almond milk with 1/2 scoop protein powder, 1/2 banana, and cinnamon.
10:00 a.m. snack: Toasted peanut butter sandwich on Rudi’s spelt bread with 1/2 banana and a little stevia 
12:30 pm. lunch: 1 cup rice with 5-6 oz chicken breast and 1 cup veggies, little 2% cheese, balsamic, and agave nectar sweetened ketchup
3:30 p.m. snack: 1 cup Honey Nut Toasty O’s w/ half piece of fruit
6:00 p.m. post workout shake: Includes protein, dextrose, maltodextrin, cinnamon, water, and ice (approximately 480 calories … this baby packs a punch! haha)
7:30 p.m. dinner: 1 large potato, 8-10 ounces lean ground turkey (or chicken), 1 cup veggies
9:00 p.m. snack: 1 cup 1% cottage cheese with a few almonds, stevia, and cinnamon
And there you have it : ) I definitely stay full at all times, haha. This is all new to me so I really don’t know how much figure competitors usually eat at this stage … I’m just trusting my husband and doing whatever he tells me! He’s been right about everything fitness/diet related thus far so I trust him about this too! :D I’m glad to have him, that’s for sure!!
Thanks for sharing with us! I am trying to gain weight-not competing or anything, I just need to put on some pounds. I do workout every day though and it makes it really hard to gain. Was it hard for you to add foods and eat more? I just struggle with eating so much.
ReplyDeleteWOW this is sooo interesting! im trying to bulk up too!! does all that protein mess up your tummy? and whats your best way of getting protein in? i get like 80 grams a day..but im not bulking up as much as id like to!
ReplyDeletei'm so excited for you! you will rock this competition!
ReplyDeleteWow, very impressive! When I was carb-cycling I had no problem hitting 200g of protein on low-carb days, but now that the carbs are back for 'building' I find myself struggling to eat enough. You're a champ! :)
ReplyDeleteSo interesting to follow you on your journey - still looks like you are getting in awesome, healthy eats!
ReplyDeletenice! lucky you. Yeah I read something about that, how bulking up will make it easier to cut BF. I wish I had a trainer hub...scratch that, a trainer in general! I can't do this on my own so I need to actually save $ to get a coach! :(
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! It seems like a lot of food, too. I bet you were nice and full all day =)
ReplyDeletePlease keep posting your daily eats!
Very cool to read about your pre-competition diet! That is an amazing amount of protein! Let us know how you feel your body is changing!!
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about the 200grams of protein. That's a HECK of a lot! From what I have learned from research and classes, anymore than 2 grams of protein per kg body weight can actually have negative effects on muscle growth and health. Any research showing otherwise? I'm actually really curious.
ReplyDeleteJust found your blog! I need to get stronger, so it will be a great inspiration for me to read about all of the hard work you are putting in!
ReplyDeleteWow-- a gallon of water a day! That's intense! I'd love to aim for something like that...I'm really bad about not drinking enough water :-(
ReplyDeleteThat is a boatload of food! You're going to be one lean, defined machine very soon, girl! Thanks for walking us through a day of your eats while training...
ReplyDeleteToo much protein? That's actually a good question. When I was in school my nutrition/ dilatation and A&P classes were always in conflict with my GXT/ exercise science classes. The nutrition classes were always with teachers who had zero experience with athletes or even with much exercise themselves, many had no clue the answers to my basic crossover questions applying nutrition to post workout or carb timing. Yet the exercise science/ GXT professors had hundreds of case studies focusing on vast questions that really never crossed the minds of RDA professors. Bottom line is the guidelines for safe consumption were put forth by people who focus on prenatal, elderly, and hospital patients, who would never need that much protein. But countless studies have proved that 1.5 gramps per pound body weight should be almost the minimum for an intermediate athlete. Look at any pro athlete's diet and not one will be following the recommended protein allotment. It's like the old food pyramid or BMI scales for athletes, simply obsolete for many Americans.
ReplyDeleteHere is one of countless articles from an RD supporting this fact.
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1573
girl these meals make me wish I were training for a body building competition. Holy yum!!
ReplyDeleteAwesome diet! I think this is a great goal. Best of luck in your endeavor. Seems like 2010 is going to be an awesome year for you!
ReplyDeleteI think your diet still looks pretty healthy...and definitely delicious! :)
ReplyDeleteNice to have your husband as a guide, he seems to know what he's talking about.
cant wait to follow your journey! Iused to be a part of the 02 message boards and it was amazing following these women who were so dedictated to this! it is very inspriring! i know you will look great for your show this fall! it must be fun to eat a little 'worse' than normal but your body needs it for sure!!
ReplyDeleteLove that Rudi's bread. I like the 14 grain & a discontinued apple cinnamon. :-(
ReplyDeleteI remember my bulking up days! It was hard mentally & then seeing the bulk up stage on my bod before starting the contest dieting phase. Definitely takes time getting used to it if you have been eating other healthy way previously!
Lesley! That's so awesome that you are going to do a figure competition!!! I didn't realize that you had already made the decision! So excited for you!!! :) :) :)
ReplyDeleteYour diet looks incredibly YUMMY! Especially compared to my lovely "cutting" diet!! hahah I am definitely looking forward to the off-season building diet.
And it's great you have your husband to help you. He knows you better than any coach does and... it's a lot CHEAPER! LOL :)
Good luck with everything! I'll be following along!!!
Your figure competition diet is so interesting. I love learning about how different athletes fuel up. I didn't know they ate so many carbs in the bulking process.
ReplyDeleteHi girl! Sorry I have been a horrible commenter lately--life seems to get in the way sometimes unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteThis show you're going to be entering sounds neat! I love having a timeline and a goal to work towards. You're eats still look YUMMY and heck, I sure wouldn't complain about more carbs ha ha! :-)
Your going to to so awesome!! :) Can't wait to see the progress!!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds so awesome. Im so excited for you!! Sounds like you are well on your way girl! I wish you the best of luck and thanks for sharing your day of eats. Looks fantastic!
ReplyDeleteyou really are pretty lucky to have your husband to be there with you every step of the way!
ReplyDeleteand I can't imagine what it must be like to have to eat "worse" than usual - its funny to think that you have to eat worse to look better!
I think it looks like a good diet - since you're lifting so much, you'll need more calories to add muscle. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteit is so good always eating healthy in order not to lose figure, always being care when food we are talking. that's a tip.,
ReplyDelete