This one is for you El...

I was told that my progress pictures are not looking so great because the bathing suit is ugly. Yes, I know it is ugly. It doesn't even fit, ok???!!!! But, the point is to take the pictures in the same outfit every time so that hopefully my nutritionist can see the differences in my body. If I change the outfit then it will be harder to tell what changes are taking place.

Anyway, to make Ellen happy, I have taken a special photo for her today in my purple sparkly string bikini. Sorry, the top is already a little too big (my boobs just keep shrinking!)...so it doesn't look model perfect. But at least you can tell that I am getting a bikini ready body now...

Progress Chart

I have been using "Myfooddiary.com" to track all my nutrition, exercise, and body measurements for almost a year now. 310 days today. Well, take a look at the body weight chart. I'm actually in the target zone. Pretty cool for less than a year.

Bye Bye Clothes...Hello new body

I am absolutely ecstatic to have lost so much weight (25 pounds since last May)....but without sounding like a total prick, may I complain only a little that it totally sucks not having enough clothes to wear?

I went shopping last Friday and the feeling was amazing. I was able to purchase 2 dresses size 6! I purchased jeans a size 4!!! But, what is still in the closet is starting to not fit at all.

I bought a shirt 4 years ago that I never wore. Not because I changed my mind when I got home...but because I didn't try it on at the store and then when I got home I realized it didn't fit. The store was on the other side of town, so I just thought "I'll figure out something to do with it"...it was a button up so I figured I could make it work. No such luck. Then, this week I saw it smashed between a bunch of sweaters.... I put it on and it fits! Actually it is slightly too big...see it is a LARGE...and my boobs used to be so big I had to buy a large, but now they are more like a medium and the rest of my body is a small. So...I better wear this shirt while I can because it too will not fit soon. And the size 6 jeans I have on with it are too baggy, so now I look like a bag lady in cute clothes....

I hate to complain because I know most people will be wanting to be in my shoes...but it is getting expensive for me to go buy new clothes all the time. But I guess having to keep purchase a smaller size is helping keep me motivated.

Also, by Ellen's request, I am going to post a progress pic this weekend that is in a different bathing suit. The one I have been posing in is too large. It makes it hard to tell what progress I'm really making. So I'm going to pose in the SMALL swimsuit I bought for this summer...plus it is purple and sparkly kind of like a real competitor suit. So I think it will be a little more fun to take pictures in.

I HATE progress pictures!!!!

...but here are some new ones anyway:

Thanks Kimmy for taking them!

126 pounds and 20.5% body fat.

Mmmmm... New Protein Shake!

I decided to try a new whey protein brand. I wanted one that had less than 100 calories a scoop, to try and minimize the impact to my total diet. Supposedly, it is really good to drink like 3 whey shakes a day...but who wants to chew up like 500 calories in shakes?

So, I found this brand called Syntax, and they make these "Nectar" whey protein powders.

Man, they have ever kind. I usually use chocolate, so I got a chocolate truffle flavor, and then I decided to also try the cappuccino flavor. I don't really know too much about the chocolate truffle...but let me just tell you the cappuccino rocks!!!! Last night I just mixed it with water, and it tasted like a latte. So then I had this great idea to mix it with my morning iced coffee. I already use a french vanilla ready to drink protein shake as the creamer instead of REAL creamer. Man, that iced coffee was amazing with the cappuccino whey powder. What a protein shake before the gym!!! THEN, I had an afternoon shake this afternoon with 1 scoop of the cappuccino mix, 1/2 cup skim milk, 1/4 cup coffee, and 1 tbsp of peanut butter. That was delicious!!!

So what I'm trying to say, is that the Cappuccino is WELL worth it. It was about $25 for the big 2 lb container. That is a little more expensive than what I'm used to but not by much. And the best best part...NO FAT! AND ONLY 100 CALORIES!!! This thing is amazing I'm telling you!!! My new favorite supplement!!!!

Contest Date Landed and New Diet Info

So FINALLY, my contest date is landed. It has been moved to October 23rd. That is 2 months out from the original date, but oh well.

I am fairly certain that I am 20% body fat, and I need to be 16% to go pre-contest. So the extra 2 months will definitely help with that. This also most likely means that I will be on the pre-contest diet starting in July. (July, August, September, October)...should be 16 weeks of pre-contest dieting.

This week I'll post some new progress pics. I haven't posted any in a while because Amy wanted me to get on the new workout program with Giant Sets and Spin Class, and I wanted to wait 2 weeks into that program to really tell the difference between the last ones. So most likely Friday, I'll have some new ones up.

Also, I'm kicking my diet up in a new gear this week. I am cutting carbs out of the second half of my day and upping the protein count. hopefully this will help me lose some stubborn pounds this week. Because of this, I kind of cheated extra this weekend. Oops....and as a result I didn't go to the gym this morning (I was just too darn tired). So I hope I didn't totally put myself back on progress because of one bad weekend. Sometimes my body responds horribly to just a little bit of diet upset. I'll probably do extra cardio this week to make up for it!!!