Today was the last official day of contest prep for me. One week to go until Game Time! With the exception of the minor incident involving blackberries, prep went off this time without a hitch. There were only about three days total when my energy hit a low and I felt really hungry. A quick nap after work fixed me right up and it was back to business as usual.
Considering this prep for me lasted 32 weeks, three off days was nothing. It was a night-day difference from last contest. The key factor in that? Time and patience. The more time you can give yourself to lose weight, the better. I’ll say up front that nothing was wrong with the way things were done last time given the time constraints that I set for myself.
Including the extra time along with a little bit more knowledge gained from the first time around, made things so much easier. I gave myself even more time than I estimated I would need, just in case there were slower weeks along the way.
If your goal is to drop a few (or more pounds) and you aren’t convinced that slow is better, here are a few differences between my two preps:
- I was able to eat out 3 or more times a week during the entire prep. Yes, even up to this week. Last time I didn’t have the calorie wiggle room to risk someone getting heavy handed with sauce or accidentally adding fat when grilling.
- I had 2 high calorie days a week where I ate at maintenance levels. I had ice cream every week along with a cookie or a brownie if I wanted with one of my meals. Last time I had a single cheat meal the entire prep.
- The only cardio I did was a 2 mile walk with the dog 6 days a week and a couple fun things like a zombie 5K and a dancing video game. My dog walk was more of a stroll since those 2 miles took us about 35 – 40 minutes. Not aerobic by any stretch. Last time I was doing 45+ minutes of daily cardio like kickboxing or running.
- I weighed and measured everything, but I ate what I wanted and tracked calories and macros. Nothing was off limits including cheese, pasta, dessert, and so on as long as it fit into the plan. Last time I stuck to basics like plain chicken breast, steamed green veggies, and sweet potatoes.
- I didn’t wear my heart rate monitor once to track calories burned. I just tracked what I ate and the time I spent in the gym along with the movement on the scale. Last time I religiously wore my monitor to make sure I hit a specific number daily.
- I started out at a very minor calorie deficit and only had to drop my calories slightly a couple times. Last time there were several calorie drops and I ended up eating about half the calories I ate this prep.
- I have much MUCH less loose skin. Losing weight quickly doesn’t give your skin the chance to catch up. Your skin is like the tortoise, slow and steady. I still have some extra skin after losing almost 30 pounds, but nowhere near what I had last time. Standing up straight fixes the problem as you can see from progress pics posted on Instagram.
- I was able to get almost 10 pounds leaner. By show time, I should weigh about 8 – 9 pounds less than I did last show which makes Reason 7 above that much more amazing. I don’t know what my bodyfat is at this point since I don’t measure it and the judges won’t be asking. 😉
I set out this contest to follow a plan as close to real life as I could with the only difference being the amount of calories I ate. If I wouldn’t do it when I wasn’t in prep, I decided to not do it during. That included the time spent in the gym, activities like cardio, eliminating foods, adding supplements like fat burners. The closer you can stay to normal, the less deprived you feel and the better your chances of maintaining it afterwards.
I’m glad that I set my mind before starting on how I wanted to accomplish this and stuck to the plan. I’m going into this contest excited about what is coming afterwards, but not desperate just to get it over to eat again! I’d call that a victory for sure.
World’s Easiest Microwave Bread Pudding 
- 3 egg whites
- 2 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk
- 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
- 2 slices Nature’s Own 9 Grain Bread (40 calories per slice)
- 1/2 scoop protein powder of choice
Whisk the egg whites, almond milk and cocoa in a microwave safe bowl. Tear the bread into pieces and add to the bowl. Stir well to combine. Let the mixture sit for about 2 minutes so the bread absorbs the egg mixture.
Microwave for 2 – 2 1/2 minutes until cooked. Mix the protein powder with a little water to make a sauce and pour over top.
Makes one large serving at 198 calories – 27g protein, 18g carbs, and 2g fat.
Flavor Notes
- I’ve tried this with pumpkin spice, vanilla, and banana protein powders (see pic above) and all of those versions were amazing. Experiment with the flavors you have on hand.
- I’ve made this with 1 tsp instant espresso powder mixed in and topped it with fat free cream cheese for great results and a mocha flavor.
- You can definitely use real milk or other milk substitutes if you’d like. You don’t have to use almond milk.
- Experiment with different spices. I’ve tried nutmeg and cinnamon. Add in things like raisins, craisins, chocolate chips, and anything else your heart desires.
Let me know what you come up with. I’d love to try out your version.
Speak Your Mind