Bikini Contest Prep // 4 Weeks Out

We’re in the final stretch now, and I’m really starting to look forward to the end.  This last two weeks I had to kick it into high gear to try to lose more weight and body fat.  I did it by upping the intensity of my cardio and staying as strict as possible on my diet.  As of today, I weighed 106 (at the gym, 103-4 at home) and am at 17% body fat (down from 109 gym pounds and 19% body fat two weeks ago).  I started this journey at 25% body fat and 110 pounds (at home).  Go here to see my pics at 15 weeks out.
For cardio, I’m doing 45 minutes, 5 days a week and it’s usually on the treadmill at a 15 incline and a speed of 2.7-3.0.  If I need a break, I lower the incline for a couple minutes, then ramp it back up.  I’m also doing more ab exercises (at the end of each workout).  I use my iPod and iPhone to pass the time and also met a woman who also does cardio at the same time so we’ll chat.  For abs, I typically do 2 ab exercises 4 times and 20 reps.  I’m working with my trainer about 4 days a week.
I’m still amazed at the level of physical effort all this training takes.  It’s exhausting.  I realize now how intense you have to train and diet to get in the kind of shape for a NPC bikini competition.  I do love the results and how my clothes fit (down to a size 24 jean – was a 26).  
I still need to lose a few more pounds in the next four weeks.  Last recap, I wrote about how much mahi mahi I was eating, but I got concerned about the mercury levels, so now I’m incorporating grilled chicken salads with fat-free dressing for a couple meals and eat fish for one meal.
Lately, I have been craving all kinds of food and thinking more about when this is done, how nice it will be to not be SO strict with my food.  I ate a pint of Gelato on Saturday (while watching Orange Is The New Black Season 2 marathon- are y’all hooked?!) and really enjoyed it.  Don’t tell my trainer!  
The black striped bikini was taken at 5 weeks out.

The aqua bikini pic was taken at 4 weeks out. 
I go for my bikini fitting tomorrow!   p.s. These bikinis are from Victoria’s Secret. 😉 

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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!

23 Comments

  1. As someone who is not too knowledgable on fitness training, what happens to
    Your body when you decrease the workouts and eat normally, but healthy again? Does the muscle and tone stay? I can see how what you're doing is working towards a goal and isn't sustainable long term. I'm
    Just curious how body changes when things relax a bit.

    1. I would imagine you would gain back some pounds, but I do plan to keep up my healthy eating and workouts- just not 2 hours, 5 days a week. I will keep y'all posted about how my body responds post-contest. My trainer explained that typically fitness athletes go through a "bulking" phase off-season and then "cutting" phase in-season. In the bulking phase, you lift heavier and focus on building muscle, in the cutting phase, you focus on losing fat and leaning out.

  2. You look great! It's amazing how quick the body can change with hard work and dedication…it's so hard to stick with it! My biggest downfall right now is that I'm rapidly putting on muscle, but having a hard time burning fat…any tips? I'm at about 22% body fat, and I eat relatively clean…
    Also, you keep mentioning your sweet tooth; I have the same problem! Have you tried flavored almonds? I've been eating them between dinner and bed time…the butter toffee flavored ones are so yummy and totally hit the spot! 🙂

    1. I started losing more fat when I upped the intensity of my cardio and I do 5- 45 minute sessions a week. Also, I really watch my diet and try hard not to cheat. Very small differences in a super clean vs. relatively clean diet make a change too. Those butter toffee almonds sound amazing- I bet the calories really add up on them. They sound like something I would really like though!

  3. So I guess it's time to increase my cardio from 30 minutes to 45 minutes then to maximize my time spent in fat burning. Yay!
    Also you pay attention to what you eat and your portion sizes, so you won't have a problem with the calories piling up…they're only "dusted" with the good stuff. They totally beat a bowl of cereal or the typical dessert, at 160 cals, 9 g carbs, and 5 g sugar per serving. Plus, you already know that they're nutritious and full of fiber and protein.
    I guess I was a little bit vague about my "relatively clean" diet also. I'm recovering from a 15 year battle with anorexia nervosa and my diet is still considered very strict; I've added foods that I used to consider off limits into my diet and I'm still having a hard time wrapping my mind around it…it seems relatively clean compared to what I used to limit myself to.
    Only recently I started living "healthy" instead of obsessively and compulsively revolving my life around food and exercise. My husband, a body builder too, has been such a great rock and inspiration for me. I've always been fit and athletic, but until recently I was never HEALTHY. Your blog has also been such an inspiration! Thanks so much for sharing everything 🙂
    http://www.noanamovement.blogspot.com

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