Diet is ON!

OK, I was so P.O.'d at myself after the other day, I vowed to take it one day at a time and stick to my plan perfectly. So far, it's working! Here is the diet so far this week:

Goal numbers: 30-35g fat, 115-135g carbs, >20g fiber, 120-150g protein

Thursday: 30g fat, 133g carbs (29g fiber), 138g protein
Friday: 33g fat, 119g carbs (29g fiber), 123g protein

Two more days, then an initial weigh-in and photos on Monday morning to kick things off!

The Next Phase

My "official" precontest training phase begins next Monday, Feb. 20. I am definitely motivated and excited about the change. One of the great side benefits of periodization is NEVER getting bored with a current training program. It's still why, for me, weight training will always and forever be the meat and potatoes of my fitness program, whether I'm competing, losing post-pregnancy weight, or squatting as a 75-year old granny. (Which I can guarantee now that I will be doing at that age!)

So here goes. This next phase will be a 4-day split, still allowing me enough time for sport-specific training. I am throwing in a complete core and conditioning day to assist with strength and power development for my fitness routine, while helping me keep the volume high for shoulders, back and legs. Here's the split:

Mon - Power/Conditioning & Core Work
Tue - Chest/Back
Wed - Off
Thu - Legs
Fri - Shoulders/Arms

Not sure where calves will fit in, but I want to train them twice per week. Ab work will be done on Monday, as well as on Wednesday's routine practice day.

Am I Dieting or What?!

As I sit here and enjoy my pizza cracker Combos, I type about the realization that if I am going to diet, I am doing it all or none. Just by telling myself I have some leeway, I take it every chance I can get. This is wasting my time - wasting the time I spend shopping, planning, preparing and cooking perfectly proportioned meals... to blow it away with a cheat at the end of the day. Very frustrating indeed. So I am in the process of re-evaluating my diet numbers and mentally preparing myself to dive head-first into my strict competition diet plan. I have plenty of time - 17 weeks to lose about 15 lbs. - but doing it slow and easy is for me the best way, as I've found out in the past when leaving it to "crunch time." NO FUN at all, trust me! So I will start anew with baseline weight, bodyfat, and diet on Monday. In the meantime, I will get used to eating clean and planning the time for food preparation once again. This is also the end of my 2nd active rest/intensity training week, so new diet will accompany a spankin' new program. Gotta gear myself up for this mess!