Weekly Updates Include:

• Progress Pics
• Changes to diet
• Changes to Workout and cardio
• Video diary

Also check out:

• All Weekly Updates
• Cut phase 2014
• Build phase 2014
• Contest prep 2015 – Calculations and initial plan
• Competition Guide Articles

** Week 7, 9 weeks to contest **

Cut Phase, February 14th – 20th 2015

Weight range:136.4-138

Weekly low: 136.4

Workouts Schedule: exercises and cardio stay the same as last week-  Workout plan – Week 6 – Contest Prep 2015

• Refeed – Saturday:   Shoulders + 7 HIIT – REFEED
• Med- Sunday:          20 min LISS,   Legs and abs (quads/ hams/ calves)
• Med – Monday:          20 min LISS,  Back + biceps
• Low – Tuesday:          7 MIIT + abs
• High – Wednesday:  20 min LISS Chest + triceps
• Med – Thursday:       High rep shoulder day and/or glut + ab exercises- high rep 12-20 +  7 HIIT
• Low – Friday:             5 MITT

Thursday Circuit this week:

 Shoulders, abs and glutes. Do the following 4x through:

1. DB shoulder press 15-20 reps
2. Weighted reverse crunches 10-15 reps
3. Split squat with DB, back leg on bench 12-15
4. Side raises with DB 15-20
5. Hanging knee raises 20 reps
6. Glute thrusters with BB 15
rest 1 min. repeat

Diet: This week I decreased carbs by 20 gram per day. Now my high, low and medium days look like this:

• High day: 170g carbs, 120g protein, 30g fat
• Medium day: 140g carbs, 120g protein, 30g fat
• Low day: 110g carbs, 140g protein, 30g fat
• Refeed day: 275g carbs, 120g protein, 30g fat

I increased my protein on the low day as I don’t want calories too low. The above macros also do not include high fiber veggies I eat like brocolli.

Refeed stays the same. Here is the printable: Week 7 Printable 9 Weeks Out

Feb 18th: My Sunday and Monday LISS sessions turned into MISS sessions. This means that instead of keeping my heart rate in the 130(ish) range, I kept it in the 150 (ish) range. I was just feeling good and rocked out my workout. I hit 136.4 this morning! Fabulous and spot on for this week but today…. oh today… I ate 20g more carbs and 30g more fat than I should have…. That works out to be about 338 more calories than I should have consumed. I made Emeril’s Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies yesterday and they are just so flipping good, I couldn’t resist. Then, I finished off the Annies Gluten Free Mac n Cheese my kids didn’t eat. At any rate, I had 3 meals worth of carbs all for lunch. AND to top it off, I had to make a paleo cake and kept poppin little bites here and there. BAD NEWS BEARS!!!!!!!  Let’s hope my weight will be forgiving and I will at least stay in the 136 range.

Um, yeah…..

Feb 20th: So, I went from 136.4 to 138.2 after that cookie debacle. Today I am at 137.2. Not terrible. Set backs. 🙁 Things are getting harder. My body doesn’t want to get below 136. It was easy up until now but now I am getting just a little hungry in the afternoons or late evenings. All I want to do is pop a bite of something yummy. But, when I do that, it leads to another bite and another!!! Then, I am two pounds heavier the next day set back by 2 weeks. This is no good. Too many carbs is one thing and I can burn those off, but too much fat in this type of program will be laid right back down on my ass…… I got this….  I can do this!!!

I do like my meals though… tasty and fresh, sauteed apples or bananas for carbs to switch it up from sweet potatoes, and lots of veggies!

Progress pics comparison, 8 pounds down, getting better little by little, but I have a lot of work to do!

These Pics are taken the morning before my refeed meal. I may not look as “full” in the muscles, but the day after I may look a little bloated as my weight is usually up 1-3 pounds the next day. My left shoulder and lats are slightly bigger than my right, as you can see in the front post, and my posing doesn’t help that. I need to work on posing so I look more symmetrical. I can do that with a mirror, but when I am away from a mirror, its a little but harder.