I feel like a ton happened this last week. First decreased calories, then refeed, working out, snowboarding and a lot of restdays. Let me get into it a little more in the following.
Diet
As mentioned in my last post, we had decreased my calories to about 1900 kcal (Link to post with detailed macro targets). I wasn’t too happy about it as I genuinely enjoy food, but after a few days, I found some yummy meals to fit the macro targets. This week, I was not hungry at all, which is excellent, considering it is my 12th week into the diet.
Dropping calories has not led my weight to go down. It just stuck at the same number for the last three weeks, which made me a little frustrating. I quickly realized that stressing about it didn’t make it any better either. This weekend I went snowboarding, which is why we decided for a refeed on the day before and rest days during the weekend.
The refeed allowed me to eat 30g more carbs. So on that day, I ate 220 g carbs, 60 g fat, and 160 g protein. I enjoyed the additional carbs in the form of a snack, some yogurt with Müsli and fruits. It was so good! And I relaxed and trusted that this would make my weight go in the right direction again. The day after, we expected my weight to go up a little due to the extra carbs. It didn’t. It remained at the same level as the weeks before. No time to panic, though. This was Thursday.
On Friday, I left for a weekend away in the mountains to go hiking and snowboarding. It definitely helped to get my thoughts away from prep. We included three rest days. This was a little weird, but I snowboarded and kept active, and it was the best thing to do. And sure enough, my weight started dropping. The next day’s weight was at 64,9 kg, today even 64,5 kg. My past weeks show how stress and all different kinds of circumstances affect body weight. Not dropping weight does not mean you don’t lose fat. We could definitely see on my check-in Fotos that I decreased fat. Stressing myself about my body weight did not help in weight drop. The refeed was put at the perfect time and did wonder. Let’s see how the next days go when I work again and in my regular daily routine.
Meal of the week: Choosing one is challenging. I would probably say baked potatoes and carrots with avocado, spinach, egg and cottage cheese (quark). I haven’t done this meal for a while but absolutely enjoyed it.
Workout
My workouts have been great! I had quite some rest days this week, but I still feel very energized in my workouts. I can still lift heavy, feel very strong, and absolutely at my personal best.
Overall feelings
We are 7 weeks out of my first competition now. I am super excited but also am getting nervous. I still have so much to prepare. My bikini is not entirely done yet, because I actually chose to make it myself. I am not bad at sewing, but honestly, bikinis are also not something I have done thousands of times before. So I definitely needed some trials until I felt like I was on the right path.
Now, I am almost done with the sewing part. Just minor adjustments here and there, but not much. I have also ordered the rhinestones, although I think I still need to order more to cover the whole thing. As you can see, this will probably be quite a last-minute thing. But if there is something I can control myself to make it perfect, then I will do it. So this is why I chose to make the bikini myself.
Also, I still want to learn to do my the stage make-up myself. Many will say “don’t do it”. But honestly speaking, competitions add up to a lot of money if you just get everything done from other people. Participating in bodybuilding competitions is an expensive sport. If hair and make-up are what makes me win, then I would definitely question the judges. As long as my complete package is excellent and everything comes together, this is what counts. At least, this is what I am focusing on. Don’t stress the little things.
Summary
Overall, I feel fantastic12 weeks into prep. I wake up energized and can still bring my best at work and in the gym. I rarely feel hungry, and I still sleep very well, often about nine hours.
This last week was terrific regarding all aspects of life – overall well-being, food, workouts, and social life. I had a blast snowboarding and a lot of social time with my sister. Oberstdorf is just also a very beautiful place to spend the weekend. The mountains are stunning. If you don’t know it yet, you should definitely visit (Link).
I am very excited for the next week, as I will start another travel trip. It is going to be so good to get away again. Let’s see what my weight does, but I am confident we will move in the right direction. 🙂
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