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The Marta Mathews diaries |
| By
Marta Mathews |
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WEEK 13 - Mar 22/04 - Mar 28/04
Contest Prep Update - 10 more weeks to FAME!
10-weeks out analysis:
I registered for FAME today! Yes, I have finally made it official! Now I can't back out!
I am continuing with carb cycling and calorie cycling as per my outline
described last week. I am feeling surprisingly strong and energized despite
my drop of energy supplies (food). My strength at the gym this weekend was
equivalent to my strength last week. I began supplementing with BCAA's
during my workout in order to preserve my muscle tissues under these
catabolic times. Basically I am making sure my muscles are constantly being
supplied with nutrients as to prevent muscle wasting.
Weight progress: >>>> GOAL WEIGHT FOR FAME - 125 lbs
13 weeks out - March 1, 2004 - 145.0 lbs - 20 lbs to lose by May 28
11 weeks out - March 16, 2004 - 143.0 lbs - 18 lbs to lose by May 28
10 weeks out - March 22, 2004 - 141.4 lbs - 16.4 lbs to lose by May 28
BINGO!! - Lost 1.6 lbs since last week >>> weight loss is occurring
precisely as planned.
NOTE: If fat loss continues as planned, I might consider going down to 122 lbs for FAME, but that is yet to be determined as I get closer to the show.
10 week out diet: Continue as per outline described in my March 15/04 journal entry.
Supplements to be used daily: Continue with current supplements.
That's it for today.
Tuesday, March 23/04
Hmmmmm.... Following my meeting with a pro yesterday, I might be making some
small changes to my diet effective immediately. Basically, my caloric intake will remain the same, but I will tweak my ratios a bit in order to achieve better results. I already feel amazing with my current diet, but if I can have more carbs than I currently do (I LOVE CARBS!!!!) and STILL feel just as good and STILL keep losing body fat then I am totally game for that. Last year I invested some cash into a nutrition lesson and it really paid off. This year I'm doing the same and hopefully I will achieve the same results.
I am supposed to monitor my weight every day this week to see if I'm gaining or losing. I am being told that if I keep playing my cards right I am guaranteed to keep losing body fat and still enjoy having the foods I love, aka oatmeal . Having said that, I am incredibly hyped up about the possibility of adding an extra serving or two of oatmeal to my diet at the expense of the bok bok (chicken). Woooo hoooo....
Wednesday, March 24/04
So far so good... I lost a fraction of a pound overnight again It's still too early to tell if the brown rice I had yesterday is going to kill me or do me good, but I continue feeling and sleeping awesome, so hopefully things will continue as planned. Other than the extra grams of carbs there is nothing too controversial or exciting in my training and dieting these days... I performed some new abdominal exercises yesterday before doing my cardio and I can feel the effects today. Taking a break from the gym today and looking forward tolosing some more weight this week.
Thursday, March 25/04
Another fraction of weight lost overnight.... I guess my body is starting to like the extra complex carbs... The true weight loss test will take place on Monday though. If I weigh 140 then I will be right on track, so will see...
I am now considering considering registering for the April 24/25 Fitness Model Centrals in order to get that last bit of stage practise before the MAIN EVENT... Haven't decided yet though... On one hand I'm worried about becoming distracted with this smaller show at the expense of FAME, but on the other hand I know I would absolutely positively have no excuses to cheat over the next 4 weeks - which could spell nothing but good things for me. Of course I would be entering the show at about 7-8 lbs away from where I would like to be at FAME, but still I know I would look pretty darn tight...
Having said that, I'm looking into it as we are speaking... Will keep you posted...
Friday, March 26/04
Okay - here is a moment of truth - my real name is not Marta Mathews. My true name is CRAZY Mathews! Yes, I have registered for the Centrals! In FOUR weeks my buff butt will be on stage at CNE attempting to kick butt before the main event - FAME!!!! I will be competing at apx. 5-6 lbs above my FAME weight, nevertheless I promise I will look HARD and I will look tough and I will be prepared to give my competitors a solid run for their spots.
I have utilized a SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and
Threats) in my decision making process as illustrated below:
Strength of doing Centrals -
a) Stage practice before FAME
b) Exposure
c) Guarantee to maintain focus as I struggle with diet and training towards FAME
d) No cheating due to show in four weeks
Weaknesses of doing Centerals -
a) Potential for distraction from the main event
b) Additional Expenses to be accrued (outfits, tanning, make up, hair, registation)
c) I will become extremely cranky TWICE in the next two months
d) No excuse to cheat - potential to regret this in final weeks prior FAME
Opportunities:
a) Potential to KICK ass - if I do well (place in top 3) then I will be extra motivated to work harder for FAME
b) Opportunity to get noticed due to Centrals being a smaller venue than FAME
c) Opportunity to seize up some of my FAME competition - I am expecting some
women are using Centrals as a "warm up" towards FAME
Threats:
a) I might not do well and end up being discouraged from doing FAME as a result.
b) I might fall on the stage due to stiletto getting in a way, break an ankle and completely compromise my chances at FAME.
d) I might receive negative exposure due to the stiletto fall.
e) My boyfriend and friends will suffer from a cranky girlfriend/friend
syndrome twice in the next two months
As you can see, I put a lot of thought into the process of whether I should register or not and I believe I made a good decision. Will see in 4 weeks how good of a decision this really was.
Sunday, March 28/04
I continue doing surprisingly well during these calorie restricted times and
I have high hopes for the Centrals. I decided to give my weight loss process
a bit of a kick and shoot for 2 lbs a week as opposed to 1.5 lbs per week of
weight loss. This way I will come in at 130 lbs looking hard. At that weight
I tend to look really good and I know I will look especially good this time
with all the brand new muscles I've put on over the last several months. I
have never taken so much care and attention to my competition process
before. Mentally I started getting ready for FAME last October... I did a
lot of maintenance training in November and took it relatively easily with
my diet during that month in order to recover from my pre-Man Show stress of
dieting and training. To me, "relatively easily" means cheating with diet
once a week while keeping my intakes clean during the week and continuing
training as intensely as always.
In December, January, and February - I cleaned up my dietary act in order to
gain some quality muscle. I restricted my cheating to no more than one or
two meals a week. I managed to gain all the muscle I needed and started my
cut at a lean 145+ lbs!
I am now nearing the end of my first month of cutting and I'm progressing
exactly as I envisioned when I first began thinking about FAME. Having taken
the right amount of time to prep up for the cut is making a HUGE difference
in the way I feel physically and mentally as I am entering my final weeks
proceeding my contests. In the past, I used to have especially difficult
time managing my weekend diet and now, having taken the time to properly
prepare, I find I have a lot more control over it during that time. For
example, I went to TWO separate birthday events last evening. What was
extraordinary was the fact that I managed to have a super clean dinner at a
restaurant and actually not feel like I was being deprived of all the nacho,
pasta, pizza, and fried goodies everyone else was having. Then, I went out
to a club and spent the whole night out drinking nothing but water! Mind
you, this is not something I want to be doing every weekend now that I'm
getting closer to my shows, I'm just saying that having taken the time to
prep up for my cut I find myself a lot more immune to all the junk I used to
crave in the past. I used to eat so so throughout the year and then two
months before the show I would do a radical change to my diet in order to
get ready. The diet would be so drastically different from what I was being
used to and as a result I kept wanting to cheat a lot more and I tended to
have a lot more slip ups than I do now.
Anyway, enough pep talking! Tomorrow is a new week, a new start! Four more
weeks to Centrals! Eight more weeks to FAME!!!!
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