Bikini Contest Prep | 7 Weeks Out Recap

Today is the official start to our summer vacation!  We don’t have any major plans, maybe a quick road trip or two after bikini prep is over.  Our son is signed up at a few day camps and also swimming lessons and we’ll just be doing some fun stuff at home and around town.  I’ll be sharing some of our quick and easy summer routines and organization soon too.  Nothing too crazy or rigid, but just enough structure to keep mama from losing her mind! I had a chance to get caught up on cleaning and organizing over the weekend, so I’m starting this week out feeling refreshed and ready to go!

Last week was kind of crazy with the holiday and then all the major rainstorms, which meant we had two days off school, then Friday was a half-day for the last day of school.  One of the days home from school my son wanted to make homemade chocolate chocolate chip cookies, and I’m not going to deprive him of that goodness because I can’t eat the cookies, so we made a batch of the best cookies ever.  Of course I know because I ate . . .  nine of them!  Three the first day, right out of the oven, and six the next day.  I blame my weakness on being so very sleep deprived, having not gotten much sleep and because I just couldn’t resist!  We ended up taking a bunch of the cookies to the school for an event and leaving the rest for my husband and son.

It’s not that eating cookies in and of itself is bad, it’s just that on prep, when you are working so freaking hard, it feels like it’s a waste to eat all those extra calories and sugar.  Not to mention I got a major stomach ache.  So, even though I messed up, I just had to start again.

I’m happy to say I’ve been perfect! on my diet since then and it’s paying off!  My bikini competition is now 6 weeks away, so I’m halfway there!

7 WEEKS OUT

Here’s my 7 Weeks Out picture, snapped on Sunday, May 24, 2015.
I put the heels on since that’s what I’ll have to be standing/walking in on stage soon.  It’s best to be prepared to look graceful and I still need to start practicing my posing.  
Bikini Contest Prep - 7 Weeks Out | Honey We're Home

Bikini Contest Prep - 7 Weeks Out | Honey We're Home
WORKOUTS 

I’m loving the SPRINTS I’ve been doing for cardio and even though it always feels like I won’t be able to finish when I first start, I just keep going and use the music and any other mental toughness I have to pull through.  I’ve even started running faster and on Sunday, did what I consider to be “true sprints” where I sprinted at 9.0 speed for 45 seconds, then walked at 3.8 for 1 min 15 seconds.  I did that for 25 minutes.  I upped my speed because I found that I am started to be able to run faster for a longer time and the sprints should be more of a cardio that gets your heart rate up high for a short amount of time, then bring it back down and back up and so forth.

On my Polar heart rate monitor, my heart rate looked like this when I was done.   

Sprints on Heart Rate Monitor
When I’m spending so much time doing cardio, it also gives me some time to think and I’ve been asking myself, “Why am I competing again?”  I haven’t known the answer.  I’ve already done one last year, so it’s not the “bucket list” thing this time and I couldn’t really articulate (even to myself) what makes me want to go on prep again.  It’s not for the faint of heart!  But, I love seeing my body transform.  I love the challenge.  I love a setting a goal and going for it.  I love the stress it relieves and the “therapy” it is for me.  I love being on a team with my trainer.  I love working hard physically.  I love pushing myself, really pushing myself beyond what I think I can do and then doing it. 
The best things in life make you sweaty
And I always think that since I’m capable of doing hard physical exercise, I should.  There was a point in time when my Dad couldn’t walk or do many things for himself, so I feel like I need to take this privilege and use it.  
Of course, the outward physical appearance is what gets judged at the contest, but there’s a lot of inner mental and physical stuff going on too, that only the competitor truly understands. 
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I reported last week that I was using one small scoop of a pre-workout supplement (Formulation 1) for added energy during my workouts since they typically go nearly 2 hours on days I do cardio and train with my trainer.  But, I’m stopping that now because, like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I haven’t been sleeping well and I’m not sure if the pre-workout had something to do with that since it has caffeine in it.  (It only lists the combo of ingredients and a total, instead of breaking it down individually, so I can’t tell how much caffeine is in it).  I already drink two cups of coffee per day, so I don’t need any more caffeine.  I find I can fall asleep better without it, so I’m just going to have to muscle through those long workouts.  
I also take BCAA and a scoop of glutamine after my weight-training sessions and a daily mulit-vitamin.  And this week, I started taking a nighttime post-recovery supplement that I had left  over from last year.  I’m stretching now too after my cardio since my legs have been super tight. 

Monday Memorial Day:  Cardio (1 hour combo running and sprints on treadmill) – even on a holiday!


Tuesday: Train Chest, Tricep, Arms (on my own at another gym since trainer’s gym lost power) + Cardio (45 minutes on treadmill- 25 minutes run at 6.0 before lifting, then 20 minutes sprinting, 7.0 for 1 minute, then 4.0 for one minute, alternating for 20 minutes)

Wednesday:  0 


Thursday a.m.:   Train Legs with Trainer + Cardio (45 minutes on treadmill – 26 min sprints alternating 8.5 1 1/2 min, 4.0 for 2 min & 20 min walk at incline 15, speed 3.0, turn incline down to 0 in the middle for 1 min break, then back up)
Thursday p.m.:   Cardio (26 minutes jogged neighborhood)

Friday:  

Saturday: Cardio (1 hour on treadmill: 20 min run at 6.0; 30 min sprints 8.0, 3.8 or 4.0, 7.5 one min on/off; then 10 minute run at 6.0) 

Sunday:   Train Shoulders and back on own + Cardio (45 minutes on treadmill)
20 minute run at 6.0-7.0, then 25 minute sprints alternating speed 9.0 for 45 seconds, speed 3.8 for 1 min, fifteen seconds. 

Total Calories Burned 7 Weeks Out = 2773 (according to my heart rate monitor)

FOOD
Let me just show you those damned cookies! Ahhh!  They are just the Nestle Tollhouse bag recipe but with dark chocolate chips. 
Homemade chocolate chip cookies
I did resist Marble Slab on Memorial Day while these two guys indulged.
Marble Slab
And on Friday, when we went to a Mexican restaurant to celebrate my brothers’ birthdays, I stuck with my mindset “I’m just gonna order grilled chicken” and did.  A little pico and pickled jalepenos gave it some added flavor.  I usually avoid restaurants on prep, but sometimes you can’t help but go, especially if it’s to celebrate a birthday or another occasion with friends.  I really wanted the queso or nachos! And a margarita! This chicken really wasn’t that good, but I woke up feeling proud of myself for sticking to my diet. 
Bikini Contest Prep - 7 Weeks Out | Honey We're Home
This week, my coach adjusted my meal plan (starting on Saturday- so it’s only been a couple days), where he cycles my carbs.  It’s just a small adjustment of reducing them by one ounce or eliminating them from one meal each day.  It’s a small change, but it makes a big difference.  With my coffee and creamer (creamer is not on my meal plan but I do it anyway), it comes out to about 1275 calories each day.

I made a big batch of chicken and rice (just use package directions) this week and my eating is on auto-pilot more now.  It’s super hard at the beginning to eat this way, but by now, it gets much easier.  As you see the results and your body begins to change, you just want to fuel it with protein and energy to keep up with what’s been working.

I like to butterfly the chicken so it’s thinner and cooks more evenly.  I just grilled these on the stove with a spray of Pam and some Mrs. Dash.  Each one is close to 4 ounces, but I still measure with my food scale to get the measurement exactly precise.

Bikini Contest Prep - Butterflied Grilled Chicken | Honey We're Home
And, yes, I did bring a meal with me to the pool since I knew it would be time to eat while I was there.  Cannot (and do not want to) skip a meal!  
Bikini Prep Tip - brings meals with you
6 WEEKS OUT 
My 6 Weeks Out picture was snapped yesterday, Sunday, May 31, 2015 and I’m seeing progress!  I figured I better put a bikini on to see where I’m at since we’re halfway there now.  I still think I want a new red bikini, but haven’t looked around yet. 
Bikini Contest Prep - 6 Weeks Out | Honey We're Home
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.
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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!

21 Comments

  1. You look amazing! I love following along with you on this journey. I am a creature of habit so eating the same thing every day doesn't bother me at all. I am not prepping for a bikini contest but I am trying to get in better shape and lose some weight. I feel stuck right now. The scale isn't budging, however I have gone down a pants size. What do you do when you hit a plateau? I've been adjusting my carb & sugar intake, but that doesn't seem to help.

    1. I think you're doing everything right. The carb cycling is what we are doing now to avoid that plateau. It just consists of taking out a carb for the 4th meal, and sometimes lowering the carb/protein throughout the day every 3 days, which also lowers calories. I'm seeing a difference with it, but I'm also hungry!!!

  2. Girl!! You can really see a lot of progress now!! You're right, though, it does make it a lot easier to stick to when you start seeing those results. Weekends are really de-railing me lately, so I'm going to try to buckle down soon. I'm not competing, just trying to get in better shape for our beach vacation on the 4th.

    Congratulations on your hard work! You look awesome!

  3. I can see a HUGE difference even from 7 weeks to 6 weeks – maybe you should keep the cookies in your diet. 😉 Thanks for sharing – I admire your discipline, and wish I had the same where food is concerned. I love exercising and challenging myself, but food has always been where I struggle most. How do you deal with cravings and getting through the hump to where things get easier? I have such an "all or nothing" mentality with food, it's ridiculous!

    1. I'm similar to you. If I'm working out and training hard, I'm much less likely to eat "bad" because I always think "I didn't just bust my @ss to blow it on this food." Sometimes I give into cravings (obviously) but my coffee with creamer is a treat for me and, as silly as it sounds, I chew sugarless bubblegum and my daily vitamins are a gummy- so that adds some sweetness.

  4. Megan have you ever tried crossfit?!! I think you'd love it. It's such a rewarding workout…and by meeting the goals in the workouts your body also transforms 🙂

  5. I love that you share your successes AND your missteps. We've all had that moment of overindulgence, but you are looking great! Congrats!

  6. Good job sticking with your diet! I love when it becomes autopilot…sooo much easier (but still hard to resist those treats). You're making great progress!!

  7. This is so exciting to watch! You really are influencing me to want to make my body better, so thank you! I need to work on my mental toughness and motivation though, because when the going gets hard or I get busy…that's when I give up! But you're an amazing mom and wife, so if you can do all that then surely I can do it 🙂

    xoxo, SS

    The Southern Stylista

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