How appropriate is this picture? I LOVE IT! I love it so much I made it my new profile pic on Facebook.
This is exactly what I tell people when they see me stuffing my face eating delicious off-plan food. In fact, I did engage is such behavior on Superbowl Sunday. I ate some really good snacks that I don’t normally eat at all and they were all pretty much worth every calorie.
I’m 15 weeks into training with my coach at LBC and I gotta say this building phase is much harder to adhere to with regards to the diet than the fat loss phase I went through for the competition. Like, 10 times harder. Probably 90% of the reason is because there’s no competition to get ready for. However, as I have mentioned in previous posts, the scale is not an indicator of how I feel and how I look. I admit I get a little scared when I step on it and see the number up 20lbs from my stage weight. I think to myself “Stop this train, I wanna get off!” But, you gotta take a breath and realize what your goals are. This is what I wanted. This is what I set out to do.
Clearly, if you want to put on some muscle, you’re going to gain some fat along with it until it’s time to lean out. So I have accepted this fact and move on. It’s hard, especially at night when it’s too early to go to bed and I’m already finished with my last meal of the day. I’m definitely not hungry (I’m in a surplus, how can I be?) but it’s that behavior I have to change. That mindset of “But I’m bulking, I can eat more!” pops into my head. It’s pretty much SHOUTING at me at night and it’s really difficult to shut it off. So the past few days have not exactly been 100%. More like 90% compliance.
Not bad, you might say. It could be worse, you might think. But remember what I always preach: “One “bad” meal won’t undo all the hard work you’ve done just as one “good” meal won’t undo all the damage you may have done.” But, adding up one and then another and another “bad” meal WILL yield results that will be less than favorable.
Something to keep in mind as I go along this building phase. Some days I think “I wish I could be in a deficit. That was so much easier.” But to be honest, it wasn’t as much fun as it is now. I was SAD when I finished my last meal of the day. Sometimes I would be sad as soon as I finished my BREAKFAST! Just knowing I couldn’t eat anything for another 3-4 hours was super depressing.
Now, since I’m in a surplus, I’m pretty full after I eat. And I take my time to eat my food instead of scarfing it down. I enjoy my food SO much more since doing this. I found myself literally shoveling food in my mouth at every meal, especially lunch and dinner since I was at a different job at the time and I didn’t really get a real legit “break.” Now, I take my time and eat super slowly. Just doing this one little thing has helped me immensely.
In keeping with “Accepting” this new me, I wrote a blog post for Muscle is the New Sexy this week which focuses on Letting your Light Shine. I discuss some positive ways we can silence that negative voice that gets stuck on repeat sometimes in our head.
Let Your Light Shine
I hope you guys like it and share it! Look for my blogs to come out every Wednesday on that site.
