Taking the Good With the Bad

Hi friends!!  Half way done with my 6th week of training and as much as time seems to be dragging, it also seems to be goin by fast!!  Being new to this I'm trying to learn the ropes and I've met and talked to SOOO many amazing figure girls along the way that have been so helpful with every annoying question I have had, I am so thankful and appreciative for them!  Everyone has different ideas, helpful hints, and suggestions on everything from suits, to diet ideas, to the super sweet shoes for posing that I ordered today (YAY) that keep me motivated to achieve my goal!

On a side note, I promised you guys I would always keep it real and I wanted to share my week!  As annoyingly positive as I usually always am, this week has had it's ups and downs for me.  My emotions have definitely been getting the best of me this week and things that usually I just shake off or make a sarcastic remark about just irritate me and I let it get to me.  Last night was the perfect example, rocked my deadlifts, hit my max weight that I did the week before plus some on majority of my lifts, then towards the end, I couldnt do as much on a couple lifts as I had done the week before.  And if you guys know me, I HATE the feeling that I can't do something! If you tell me I can't, I'm going to try my damn-dist to prove you wrong!   Soooo I got super frustrated with it, and I let my emotions get the best of me and had a bit of a breakdown! I don't know if it's part of being a girl mixed with the diet and tough training but some days it seems I can cry at the drop of a hat...and I won't even know what I'm upset about! Lol, but after I had my little pity party, I thought about how far I have come already, and I need to realize that ya...sometimes you're going to have an off day, or a day that even though you're giving it all you got, but you might have been able to do more a week before!  I never really thought to much into having a bad lifting day or an off day before training but I've been told it's ok and it happens! So I tried to focus on the good things that have already came out of this in the last 5 weeks; 

I am finally starting to feel like I am leaning out a bit, even though I have a LONG way to go, my pictures have shown progress and people seem to be noticing as well cause this week I have had so much encouragement and positive comments from my friends and people at the gym.  I was measured today and in the past two weeks I have finally started to see my weight drop a bit (4lbs) my body fat is down, my chest has decreased 1 inch (flatter than flat now...) and 1/2inch on my stomach, and my thighs and biceps have increased! I am definitely not a patient person and everybody I know wants instant results, shoot, I do it every time I get on the scale! I'm like "ok...haven't had a candy bar in 5 weeks...why is my weight not down cause when I DO eat one it seems to go RIGHT up!" Haha, and there are those conversations again, but slowly and surely, I am starting to see the fruits of my hard ass labor!

Ya seeing the actual physical changes encourage me, but it's also my determination to do this for ME, win or lose! I've noticed it not only changes your body, but your mind set on different aspects in your every day life as well!  Of course I have days where I am tired and don't want to go to the gym and just lay in my bed all day, say screw this and eat that giant stack of girl scout cookies in my cupboard, I'm normal!! But I CAN'T and I WON'T, I have come farther than I EVER thought I would! So on those days when the hardest part is just driving to the gym, you gotta suck it up, quit bitchin and DO WORK cause I refuse to quit!!  

Set your mind to accomplishing your goals and live by it friends!!! You can do sooooo much more than you think you can do!!! : )

<3 Maddy

Food = FUEL

Hi Friends!! FINALLY getting back on schedule from getting home from my awesome Dallas trip and getting to post again!! I have been getting a TON of questions about dieting and my diet etc. so I wanted to just give everyone an idea of what my training diet looks like! Some people get freaked out with the word "DIET" shoot, I used to be one of em! I tell my friends at the gym this all the time, your diet is what you eat, weather your diet is McDonald's and Burger King drive-thru, or your diet is whatever your family is eating, whatever your eating is what YOUR diet is, so STOP letting the word freak you out! Mind over matter, it's allllll mental baby!  There are sooooo many different diets that people do for many different reasons, and I want to point out that there is no "cookie cutter" plan that works for everyone.  The diet that I had made for me is different than other girls training do, and what might work for one person might not work for another! At the same time, it's pretty simple...calories in versus calories out and YES...YOU HAVE TO EAT TO LOSE WEIGHT!!!!! (amazing I know, right?)

Ok, so 12 weeks out, this is what my diet looks like:

• 7am: Protein pancake
• 9-9:30am: Protein Shake, 1 tbsp natural pb
• 11:30-12:30pm: 4oz Chicken, 1 tbsp pb
• Pre-workout: 46g Cheerios, 130-132g banana, 4oz Chicken (obviously my favorite meal cause it's the most carbs!!)
• During workout: Protein Shake
• Post workout: 3oz sirloin, 1 serving brown rice, 1 nutrigrain bar
• 9pm-10pm: 114g 1% cottage cheese, protein shake

And you guys act like I don't eat....PAAALEASE!! What I have learned so far, is the easier the better, make foods that your going to get the most bang for your buck and can make in bulk once a week so you don't have to worry about "hmm, well what am I gonna eat tonight??" That was the time I would snack the most, WHILE making dinner cause I was so hungry!! I never thought I'd be able to eat the same things most days of the week but each week I have one thing in there that I really look forward to eating, and learn that I'm no longer eating for pleasure like I used to or cause I'm bored, I'm eating for FUEL!! Then once every 8 days I get a "re-feed" day which are my FAVORITE!! My carbs go way up while protein and fat for the day decrease.  And there ya have it....simple right??  : )

Even though many of you aren't training, what's wrong with still setting a goal! It doesn't even have to be about "Ok, I'm not gonna eat ANY candy this week" Be realistic with yourself and make a goal that is reasonable but still pushes you, write it down so you can see what you want to do, and OWN IT!!! Sounds cheesy I know, but it's a pretty damn good feeling when you stick to it and after can be like BOOM, DONE....what's next???  Doing little things like that might take you out of your comfort zone for a minute but it sure does make you appreciate it a lot more and you will feel so much more confident in yourself EVERY time!! 


Thanks to everyone's positive feedback from this! Ya'll know I LOVE to talk so I'm super excited about this and LOVE to help in any way I can!! : )


Till next time <3

HEY HEY HEY!!!!

Hi, hey, hey, hi!!! I never thought I'd be blogging, but I never thought I'd be doing a lot of things that I'm doing now in my life either, so I thought...WHY NOT!!! I wanted to start this because I am 12 weeks away from competing in my first figure competition and I've been getting so many questions about it, so I thought this could be a way for my friends and family to be apart of this new journey for me as well!  I wanted to start off with some answers to a lot of common questions I have been getting...

• NO, I'm not trying to be anorexic 
• NO, I don't just eat chicken and broccoli
• NO, I'm not trying to look like a dude
• NO, I can't have just ONE piece of cake, or just ONE drink
• and YES, it's been really tough but I'm LOVING it!!!! : ) 

I love all the interest people have in what I am doing, but I know a lot of people don't understand it.  For me, it's not about losing weight, being skinny, etc.  It's about setting a goal, putting in the work, staying motivated to be in control of your body and seeing what you are able to do!   I tell my family and friends this all the time when they ask how I'm doing and it's never easy! I say, "if only you could hear the conversations I have with myself and EVERY meal...oh you can have one cookie, you look great..Maddy don't be stupid, no you can't!" And I know I complain about it a lot but I wouldn't change my decision for anything! I feel better then ever, and even if my body hasn't changed a significant amount yet, being able to push myself more each week, adding that 5lbs more than you did last week, making it through yet another day of eating clean, and staying positive with all my amazing friends and family supporting me 110% makes it all worth it!  


I hope with this blog if anything it just shows people that if you put your mind to something and set that goal, write it down, and stay disciplined you can do ANYTHING! I never thought I would last a week without chocolate or that occasional glass of wine after a long day.  But it's such a powerful feeling when you realize a month has gone by and you've DONE IT!!!! 


Excited for this!! Until next time ; )