Bikini Contest Prep – 9 Weeks Out Recap

Thank you for checking back in on my progress as I prepare for my second NPC bikini contest July 11, 2015.  What a difference a week makes!  After being on prep for the last month, I feel like I  finally turned a corner in my eating and workouts this week and it felt great!  The previous week was a reality check (having gained body fat) that if I’m really going to compete in two months, I needed to buckle down and get serious.  It took some time to get going, but now, I’m starting to gain that momentum that keeps you going and makes you want to work harder to reach your goals.  Seeing the small but significant changes to my body has me excited to press on.  But, there’s still a lot of work to be done!

 

9 WEEKS OUT

 

Here’s my 9 Weeks Out picture, snapped on Sunday, May 10, 2015.

NPC Bikini Contest Prep - 9 Weeks Out Recap

sports bra (similar) | shorts (similar)

 

WORKOUTS

 

I exercised 5 days this week, but am supposed to do cardio 6 days, 45 minutes each.  I trained with my trainer 3 days.  On days I only do cardio, I go to another gym closer to my house, and get on the bike.  I put it on “quick start” at 7 and then make sure to keep my heart rate in the 70-75% range using my Polar heart rate monitor.

Monday:  Train Legs + Cardio (45 minutes on treadmill) Train Chest & Arms + Cardio (45 minutes on treadmill)
640 calories burned

Tuesday: 0
I took this day off since my son had a dentist appointment and needed to stay home for the rest of the day. Then, that evening he had a Spring concert at school.

Wednesday:  Train Back and Chest + Cardio (40 minutes on treadmill)
535 calories burned
(coffee and pre-workout) – I woke up really tired, and put a scoop of Formulation 1 pre-workout in my water bottle and ended up having a great workout with lots of energy.  I think I might start using my pre-workout on the days I train and do cardio since it’s such an intense and long workout session.

Thursday:   Train Arms + Cardio (45 minutes on treadmill)
506 calories burned

Friday:  0
Another off day as I volunteered at my son’s school for Field Day, then we went to visit Grandma.

Saturday: Cardio (45 minutes run/walk neighborhood)
267 calories burned

Sunday:   Cardio (45 minutes on bike)
243 calories burned

Total Calories Burned Week 9 = 2191 (according to my heart rate monitor)

FOOD

 

Last week, I shared how I prep my meals for the week and it has made the biggest difference in a positive way!  Being able to just grab a meal from the fridge and heat it up is so convenient.  I continued to eat 5 meals a day: protein pancake for Meal 1; Muscle Egg for Meal 5; and for Meals 2, 3, and 4, I usually had for protein a 5 oz. turkey meatball or mahi mahi, with green beans or brussel sprouts, and a combo of sweet and white potatoes.
Twice I ate flank steak and peppers/onions with rice.
NPC Bikini Contest Prep - Flank Steak with Sautéed Peppers
I just chop the peppers and onions Julianne style and sauté them up in a pan over medium-high heat with cooking spray.  I add a little salt too.   Closer to the competition I’ll have to cut salt, but for now, it’s okay in moderation.
NPC Bikini Contest Prep - Flank Steak with Sautéed Peppers

 

My only “cheats” this week were 3 chocolate Ghiradhelli squares over the weekend and some laughing cow cheese wedges with Ritz crackers.  And, I’m still drinking my damn coffee with creamer!

 

I had to pass up the fancy wine served at a wine-tasting event for my husband’s work on Thursday evening (I literally only had one sip- just to taste!) and also passed on the best smelling pizza ever at our son’s T-ball party on Saturday.  That one was hard!  I had to just walk away from the pizza.  There were also cupcakes:(  I just keep telling myself it’s not like I’ll never get to have pizza again, just not right now!
Pizza!
8 WEEKS OUT

 

In real time, I’m now 8 Weeks Out, and here’s how I’m shaping up currently, as of Sunday, May 17, 2015.  I can tell my waist is coming in more and my legs are just starting to tone up. 8 weeks feels like such a short amount of time to prepare for a contest, but a long time to continue to eat so clean and train so hard!  In the big picture though (which is what I try to focus on), 8 weeks is nothing! And I’m excited to see what we can accomplish in the next two months!

 

NPC Bikini Contest Prep - 8 Weeks Out
sports bra (similar) | shorts (similar)

 

NPC Bikini Contest Prep - 8 Weeks Out
NPC Bikini Contest Prep - 8 Weeks Out

 

NPC Bikini Contest Prep - 10 to 8 Weeks Out
10 Weeks Out: sports bra |  dri-fit capri pants | watch (similar here & here)
9 Weeks Out:  sports bra (similar) | shorts (similar)
8 Weeks Out:  sports bra (similar) | shorts (similar)
POSING

 

I definitely need to start practicing my posing and plan to hire a posing coach this week.  My previous coach isn’t doing lessons anymore, but she referred me to someone who, conveniently, trains at my gym.  You’d be surprised how hard posing actually is.  I remember from last time, after a 30 minute posing class, I’d be sweating and so very sore, especially in my back.  But, it’s an important part of this whole thing, so I need the practice.

 

MORE BIKINI PREP POSTS

If you missed some of my bikini prep posts, you can get caught up here:

 

And check out my FITNESS tab for all health & fitness related posts.

Are you out there wanting to jump in and see what changes YOU can make to your body in the next two months?!  Even if you have no interest or desire to compete in a bikini contest, you can still lose weight and see a big difference in how you look and feel by mid-July.  I promise you, come July, you’ll wish you had started now!  Small steps day-by-day add up!
Have a great week!
__________________
keep in touch! 

 

 

 

 

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Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

16 Comments

  1. Wow! You can "see" so many gains in just the last 3 weeks! I am currently 34 weeks pregnant and can't wait to hit it hard in the gym again. I still am working out & eating healthy, but not at an intense level and I miss it! One day, I would love to do a fitness competition!
    Michelyn Cynthia
    brainsbeautybymichelyn.blogspot.com

  2. Such dedication . . . and I am so proud of you. I was doing so well with our eating and this weekend blew it out of the water. One of the parties we went to had a stand from Hot Dog on a Stick . . .I even had the funnel cakes. . like two bowls of them. Ha. I need to get back into the groove. Thanks for the inspiration.

  3. You look fantastic! I look forward to your updates every week. You motivate me to eat cleaner and work harder. I've been trying very hard to get my body fat down for the last few months. Would you post specifics of your workout routine? It would help to know which exercises you are doing for each muscle group. Thanks!!!

  4. Hey! Ok, so I am doing this meal plan with you….I started yesterday. I am about 5'5, 125– run and do Crossfit's bootcamps. However, I am a HORRIBLE sweet-tooth eater and my diet really "breaks" my results. I am SICK of it. So, I am trying to trust the process and do this and see if I can see some results. My first goal is to make it the end of this round of my bootcamp– June 12th, and see what the results are. My goal after that is the beach trip on July 10th. I am tracking progress with pictures and can send.

    Question about the protein pancake, what exactly do you spread on it? I don't want to use something that is going to trigger my sugar-reflexes and go crazy! I sprinkled cinnamon in the mix and on top this am. So surprised at how much it filled me up. Thanks 🙂

  5. Hi Megan,
    I found your blog very recently and have been binge reading! I love your style and I am right with you for the competition prep – although I am not actually competing. I just want to get into the best shape of my life.
    I love the progress pics and you look amazing!

  6. Hi Megan,
    I found your blog very recently and have been binge reading! I love your style and I am right with you for the competition prep – although I am not actually competing. I just want to get into the best shape of my life!
    I love the progress pics and you look amazing!

  7. Megan, you're an absolute inspiration to me! I made the decision to get healthier the beginning of March and I'm about to reach my 1st goal by losing 28 pounds. Your meal planning tips and reading about your workouts helps keep me motivated. Wanting to fit in the fantastic clothes you post about really helps too! Your's is truly a full lifestyle blog and I look forward to all your posts. Thanks, Natalie

  8. I am 9 weeks out from my very first show. You have really helped put things in perspective for me, and also given me confidence that I can do this! I’ve been training for a year and a half now, and still feel like a failure at times. I just hit a turning point with my meals as well…I’m getting it. I get what I must do in order to get results. Now I must stick to the plan. I must trust the plan. I always go hard in the gym. I workout up to twice a week with my trainer, then workout on my own using his workout plan all other days with 1 day of rest. I’m starting to see little results, but once I get this eating down, I’m sure the results will start shining thru even more. Thanks for giving us your truth, being transparent, and sharing your experiences.

    1. I’m sooooo excited for you Natalie! Thanks for writing! I think at the end of this process you will be so proud of yourself. It’s such a mental challenge, right?! People don’t realize how much fortitude and dedication it takes. You can do it!

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