Days 26 and 27: Diet and Doubles

So today I am writing early in the day because I'm not sure how much time I'll have later tonight.  I'm at work (shhh!) but we have a teacher-work day so I have a little free time (I'm practicing my writing skills so I can teach my kids how to write good :) ).  Anyways, the things that have been on my mind yesterday and today are: diet and doubles.

Here is my diet right now (as of now there is not much variance of food so this is pretty much what I eat every, single, flippin' day):
Meal #1: 2 egg whites, 1 whole egg, 1/2 cup plain oatmeal.
Meal #2: 1/4 cup brown rice, 3oz chicken (cooked only with salt free spices), 2 slices of apple, 2 slices of orange, 1 oz blueberries, 1 oz strawberries (measure that puppy out...I'm lucky to get 2 freakin' strawberries). *Sometimes I put about a spoonful of salsa on the chicken.
Meal #3: 1/2 cup oatmeal OR 1/2 slice of a gluten-free roll from Trader Joe's with a little mustard, 3 oz. chicken, 2 slices of apple, 2 slices of orange, 1 oz blueberries, 1 oz strawberries
Meal #4: Same as meal #2 but sometimes I change out the rice for oatmeal (wooohooo), 2 slices of apple, 2 slices of orange, 1 oz blueberries, 1 oz strawberries.
Meal #5: Big, spinach salad with mostly green veggies, carrots, 3 oz. of chicken and 10 sprays of a dressing.
Few notes: 
1) Sometimes I change out the meat with either 99% lean ground turkey or with some salmon, but the majority of my protein comes from chicken.  I think it's about time for Greg and I to invest in some chickens for our backyard seeing as though yesterday I cooked about 9 chicken breasts and I think we have about 4 left....our kitchen is a busy place! 
2) Before I lift, I have a protein shake and 2 oz. of a banana just so I have something little in my stomach so I don't vom all over Greg. I also always have a shake when I return from working out whether that's in the morning, afternoon or both.  In the shake I put supplements (glutamine and creatine) so my muscles can repair quickly.
3) Because I have not lost much weight, Greg and I are playing around with a few food changes.  Thanks to an aweosme blog reader (Allison R!), I am now a fan of a Facebook page that has food ideas and recipes for people training for competitions.  The site talked about cottage cheese so today I ate 1/2 cup of cottage cheese with a little bit of those drink powders (like Crystal Light, Propel, etc.) for a little sweetness.  It's high in protein, low in carbs, and is a nice, sweet, addition to a meal.  Thanks, Allison!!!  I also bought some peanut butter (MY DREAMS ARE COMING TRUE!) to possibly add to my breakfast.  I'm going to wait and see how my body reacts to the cottage cheese before I add in the peanut butter.
4)  I drink only water, hot tea, and protein shakes.  I have not had another kind of beverage since I started this competition training...*sigh*

I complain about my diet sometimes and parts of it are not really fun...at all.  But I was just saying to Greg the other day that I really do feel the best that I have felt in a long time.  I feel stronger at the gym, can push myself more, and can workout longer than before.  Overall I just feel healthier which is very nice.  The hardest time for me to keep this diet is on the weekends because I'm not as structured on the weekends as I am during the week.  At work, it's pretty easy because I can only eat at certain times and my day is very regulated.  Luckily, on the weekends, Greg is eating pretty much the same foods I am so I'm not alone in the kitchen of health nuts :)

As far as doubles go, I'm sure that many of you athletes can relate to the fatigue that comes with this.  What I have started doing, two to three times a week, is going to the gym in the morning and either lifting or doing about 45-50 minutes of cardio and then coming back to the gym in the evening for another 30-45 minute cardio session.  I usually do my abs in the morning with my morning cardio.  So, this week will look something like this: 
Today: A.M.- Abs, cardio      P.M. - Cardio
Tuesday: A.M. - Lift arms, 30 mins. cardio      P.M. - Cardio
Wednesday: A.M. - Abs, cardio
Thursday: A.M. - Lift chest and back     P.M. - Cardio
Friday: A.M. - Abs, cardio
Saturday: A.M. - Lift legs
Sunday: REST!

I am usually fine with this schedule until about Thursday afternoon...then I start to crash and burn.  This weekend, after my legs workout with Greg on Saturday, I came home and CRASHED on the couch.  I think I was immobile (except to eat, pee, and drink water) for about 24 solid hours.  This workout schedule is intense but I think it is definitely necessary and will, hopefully, be worth it!  I can definitely tell it is working some so far, so hopefully in 11 weeks it will have all paid off!

I wanted to write some about the dreaded treadmill, but I will post about that tomorrow.  Also, I think I have found my posing coach!!!  Will write more later, need to get some work done now :)

Until next time :) xoxo