i am still with you! October 4, 2010

I didn’t forgot you again, don’t worry!

Truth is…I am exhausted!  Every day is work out, work, work out, shower, cook, go to bed.  Oh, and I eat 6 or 7 times in there.  I’m feeling good about where I’m at and I’m not trying to complain…it’s just that I don’t have much to blog about these days!

My plan has been to post progress pictures this week, and then weekly leading up to the show.  Problem is, I’ve been taking my progress pictures for the past 2 weeks in my competition suit.  I know it’s not THAT big of a deal, but I like to keep my suit a surprise until the show.  So here is what I will do:

After the show, I will post my progress pictures in sequential order for you to see.  I probably won’t take one this weekend, but will at the 3 week point again.

Tomorrow I do have a good meal post for you!  Tonight I am making The Trainer and I the same dinner, but obviously very different ingredients for each of us.  Hopefully anyone who lives with someone who eats differently than they do can pick up some good tips on how to modify meals for both people. 

See you tomorrow!

we got hitched! September 20, 2010

Happy Monday evening to you all!

A little glimpse of the weekend…

My uncle Rick and I walking down the aisle.

Exchanging rings.

Combing our unity sand — we did this rather than a candle so that we could take it home to display.

Watching all of our toasts.

Cutting our cake.

And enjoying our first dance!

We had an awesome time with friends and family and couldn’t be happier

Proof that you can diet through life craziness and that a wedding or another event doesn’t have to derail your goals:  met with my coach today and my weight didn’t change over the weekend!  Also, body fat is down to 15.0%.  On the way — only 47 days left and it’s time to hammer these last few weeks out!

Signing off, Mrs. Strube

my favorite things: September 16, 2010

 

Miss Eason.

“Apple Pie.”

Protein Pizza.

And I get to marry this guy on Saturday night.

More to come!

dropping by September 2, 2010

Hello there!  As promised, I just want to pop in with my new stats!  The Trainer is heading to Indiana tomorrow, so I’m going to hang with him tonight

I’ve lost a total of 8 pounds in almost 9 weeks of dieting (it will be 9 weeks on Saturday).

Today each thigh is down 1/2 inches from 4 weeks ago.

Hips are down 5/8 inch.

Waist is down 1/2 inch.

Drumroll…body fat is 17%, which is down 3% from 4 weeks ago!!!  I couldn’t be happier.  Let me put this in perspective.  Last time I got competed I was a lot lighter after 8 weeks of dieting.  However, my body fat was 18% and I got on stage 2 days later.  That means this time around I should be sitting pretty good since I still have 9 weeks left…should be able to put up some great numbers! 

Yipee!  Have a GREAT NIGHT!

more weddings and 10 more weeks! August 29, 2010

Good Sunday evening!  This whole week has been busy and uninteresting, so I must apologize for the lack of posting…but you wouldn’t have wanted to read anything on her, anyway!  I went ahead and had my slight deload this past week.  Nothing major, just backed off on some of my heavier exercises.  Kept cardio strong and diet locked in during the week.  More on the diet later.

Yesterday The Trainer’s manager got married, so we went to a beautiful wedding last night!  They have a very large yard so hosted their guests at their home.  It was so gorgeous and cozy.  Picture lots of white, lights, mason jars…just beautiful, truly.  And such a gorgeous bride!

And the decor I mentioned before:

Picture Father of the Bride.  Katie and I had a good time, per the usual.

Yesterday afternoon, I also had a wedding shower of my own.  It was the LAST one!!  Kind of crazy.  This one was my besties from high school and their families.  It was so fun to get everyone together and have brunch! 

I told you I would elaborate on the diet, so here goes:  I am down 8 pounds total from 8 weeks ago, so I’m feeling good.  With only 10 weeks left, it’s time to really start having some changes happen!  Yesterday at my shower I knew I would be eating a bit more than I usually do, so I had allotted my nutrients for the larger meal.  I ended up eating a bit more than planned, but with a workout and a post shower walk, I knew it would be OK and decided stressing myself out was not the answer.

Well, I ended up caving at the wedding.  I did a good job at the buffet and kept my meal protein heavy and healthy.  Then, the cake came.  I never even eat wedding cake (it’s not a “worth it” food to me).  However, they had key lime cake.  Who has that?!  I had to try it.  Trying it led to more than one bite (it was easily the best cake I’ve had in at least 5 years!), and I felt very frustrated with myself.  Of course there are bumps in the road in every diet, but it’s hard to recover from a bump when you have a show riding on it.  However, there is nothing to do other than press forward, which is what I did.  Got right back in the saddle this morning with egg whites and oatmeal and a workout.  I did some steady state, got groceries, then went back for some HIIT.

I feel better now and know that I can only move forward.  It definitely taught me a lot and I actually feel pretty boosted for the next 10 weeks.  I have to choose to overcome yesterday and hit it hard this week!  I didn’t have my camera for most of the day today, but here is my post-workout smoothie:

And gold raspberries:

I will have some body fat and measurement updates coming this week, so stay tuned!

complete weekend recap August 23, 2010

There is absolutely no creative title for this post because a weekend recap is exactly what I am about to give you.  It was a busy one!  I should have been at my friend’s bachelorette party in Tampa this weekend, but I have to save my time off work for my own shindig in a couple of weeks…so a big shoutout to my girls that I wasn’t able to see this weekend.  Only 26 days until we re-unite!

So, what did I end up doing this weekend?  The real questions is what didn’t I do?  Friday night was entirely uneventful, so let’s jump into Saturday morning.  The Trainer competed in the Iowa State Fair powerlifting meet on Saturday.  I woke up super early with him to make him eggs and toast.

While he feasted on these, he also watched a deadlifting/squatting DVD to get him “ready.”  I was quiet.  I know to give him time to mentally prepare.

After he left for the fair, I headed to the hospital to meet my friend Meredith’s new baby boy, Bennett!  He is so tiny and cute!  We had a nice chat and mommy is looking beautiful!

I got in a quick workout at the gym and met up with Katie to head down to the fairgrounds.  We were all excited about our free parking passes, feeling pretty VIP…when we realized our pass allowed us to park over 1 mile from the fairgrounds.  Fail.  We ended up on a hill, completely cockeyed, and had to get a ride in a golf cart from a nice gentleman.  But, we saved $10, so I guess that made it a success?

Jon and Katie paused for a quick photo before Jon went up to lift.

Katie and I had to sneak over to the air conditioned building to get some fans…it was SO hot in the competition area!  But here we are, all sweaty…and I am pale.

I was a good bikini competitor and enjoyed grilled chicken from home!

Then it was time to watch what I came for!  This is The Trainer’s 1st lift:

Getting ready.

Moving up.  Check out the intensity!

And he has it up!

The Trainer got 2nd place in the 242-pound weight class with a lift of 560 pounds!  He attempted 600 and got that off the ground, but not quite the pull he needed.  Nonetheless, 560 was a PR so he was pumped!  Jon also had a PR, so Katie and I had lots to celebrate!  We bought tenderloins for the boys to enjoy

We booked it out of the fair and to a wedding for a former coworker for The Trainer’s and Jon’s.  Stopped at my mom’s for a photo! 

Aw.  The wedding reception was beautiful!  Check out our pretty centerpiece:

And the pretty decor…

We had to make it an early night because The Trainer was absolutely wiped!  So was Eason.

She begged us to go to bed!  Sunday morning rolled around and after what felt like no sleep, I got showered up and ready for Katie’s bridal shower!  Here is a live action shot of gift opening:

Check out the apron she got…it says “little black apron.”  Adorable!

And her tasty pink champagne cake.  I had some frosting bites off of my piece.  Tasty!

After the shower, I dashed home to get ready to head back to the Iowa State Fair.  My mom and I went to see Sheryl Crow!  I bought tickets for us as her Mother’s Day gift.  Sheryl Crow and Rolling Stones was the 1st concert I ever saw.  I’m not sure how common it is for an 8-year old to see the Stones, but I sure did!

Finally, the fair again!  I’ve never closed it down before — yesterday was the last day — and it was awesome!

Colbie Calliet was the opener.

Between Colbie and Sheryl, you could send text messages to a big screen.  Of course, someone proposed!

And then Sheryl came on!  She is so cute and fun!

So that was the weekend for me!  I am ready for another week and also another busy busy weekend.  I have one more wedding, 2 weeks of relaxation, and then we’re getting hitched!

Do you ever go to the state fair where you live?

hitting the wall August 17, 2010

Good evening all!

Today was one of those days.  As of Saturday the 21st I will have 10 weeks left until peak week, 11 weeks until I actually get on stage.  I feel great, I feel like I’m going to come in lean, and I’m excited…but I’m getting tired!  I can feel myself dragging on the workouts a bit, though my dedication to my diet remains strong.  Don’t get me wrong, I am still pushing it HARD.  In fact, I had a PR yesterday on the bench press!  I just feel like I am going through the motions so far this week.

To combat this, The Trainer and I are planning a deload week for next week so I avoid overtraining and injuries.  Do you know much about overtraining?  When you are working out often you do run the risk of pushing it too hard.  It is so important to build time in the workout schedule for rest and have some time to yourself!  My deload will still be full of tough workouts, but we will likely back the weight and/or reps back a bit.  I’ll just do what The Trainer says!  I usually come back from a deload re-motivated and have some of my best workouts.  That is half the point!

Eats for the day were pretty standard.  I had an Apex chocolate shake on the way to the gym this morning.  I didn’t have time to get all my food in prior to my workout — bad!  So I had some Greek yogurt and 1/3 cup oatmeal once I arrived at work.

Yeah…I wolfed this down before remembering that I have a food blog.  Sorry.

9am meal was chicken smothered in red pepper flakes and a 1/4 cup of corn.  I love Iowa!

For once I was not starving by lunchtime, which is always a bonus.  In fact, I was a little sick to my stomach all day.  It was weird!  But a girl has to eat.  I had a classic meal of more chicken, broccoli, and brown rice.

I went back to the gym to finish up my workout and then ran to the mall to hunt for shoes to wear to a wedding this weekend.  I have a super cute dress but I need the perfect shows!  And I have decided that these shoes will double as my own wedding shoes so I’m being super picky!

I shopped right through my 5:30pm meal, so I doubled up on my protein for dinner.  I did eat 2 unpictured rice cakes once I got home.

This is 6 egg whites, 4oz of grilled chicken breast, and 1oz of jarlsberg cheese.  I am such a fan of jarlsberg, have I told you?  It has 7g of fat, 8g of protein, and no carbs!  It is on the pricier side, but I usually get it at Costco and the giant wedge lasts forever.  I will be due for a new wedge sometime next week, if my predictions are correct.

For the rest of the week:  workouts!!  Gotta hit it hard before this deload.  Tomorrow is HIIT training.  Major shoe shopping to come, followed by a weekend of FUN!!

Do you buy anything in bulk?  Do you prefer Costco, Sams’s…what’s your poison?

eating well at a restaurant August 15, 2010

How was your weekend?  Still have all of Sunday ahead of us, don’t we?  I have been a busy girl so far!

But first, check out the lovely photography of my Aunt Laraine!  She took this picture of me and Miss Eason last weekend and gave it to The Trainer for his birthday.  He loved it!  Now where to hang the photo? 

She has a great website, beyondthesidewalkimages.com.  Check it out!

On Friday I moved to a new desk at work.  I went all the way to the other side of the building — really, it’s not that far but it’s a nice change.  I declined to use a cart to move everything and instead recruited my work buddy to haul everything by hand.  Think of the extra calories burned!  I brought my favorite desk decoration over with me:

Well over a year ago when my dad was getting sicker, a good friend from college sent me this beautiful card.  The words on the inside are even more beautiful.  I look at this picture every time I turn toward my file cabinet and it makes me smile

After work, The Trainer and I made a mad dash to the Iowa State Fair!  First Friday of the fair…East Side Night!!  We felt pretty VIP this year with a parking pass the led us directly into the fair.

We ventured inside to see the giant bull:

I can’t believe how big he was!  But he felt so hot and uncomfortable, I think.  The sky got a little ugly as we roamed around the fair.  Everyone wondered if it would begin to storm.

It was almost green!  Alas, there was no rain.  Thank goodness!  I had some little bites and a nice serving of watermelon.  The Trainer enjoyed cheese curds and a pork tenderloin.  We will back next Saturday for his deadlift meet, so there is more time for him to eat all the treats! 

I wised up this year and brought a little bag instead of my purse.  I need something to put my stuff in, but hate carrying a heavy purse on my shoulder.  This was perfect!

Saturday was spent by going to the gym twice and purchasing some killer sparkly pumps at Von Maur.  Can’t wait to debut those girls!  The Trainer and I decided on a dinner date and movie to round out the evening.  We hit up the Cheesecake Factory.  I’ve said it once and I will say it again…best place to go for “special needs” eaters!  I ordered a chicken breast – they upgraded me with a bed of spinach and some mushrooms.

I slept a little late yesterday, so my meals were not on their normal schedule…meaning I was behind on protein!  So I also got an order of egg whites.  I want you to know, and this is amazing:  I told the chef about my dietary needs, and he cooked all of my chicken and eggs in WATER!  I told you, this is the best place to eat.

So good.  I also had a side of asparagus that I split with The Trainer.  This was also made with water and serves super fresh and dripping!  It was so shiny I suspected oil, but The Trainer confirmed there was none.  Once I tried a piece, it was obvious that this was just yummy vegetable goodness.

Then we saw Inception.  It was good, but mentally exhausting.  I would suggest seeing it for sure.

I’m off to get showered and ready for my day.  I have a Mary Kay makeover at my friend’s house and we are practicing my wedding hair.  Enjoy your Sunday…I’m hoping it cools down enough to go on a long walk.  Remember to enjoy some active rest on your days off from the gym!

pat the…bride? August 11, 2010

Good evening, all!

Can you believe it’s Wednesday already?    It seems like the weeks are flying by!  As much as I like racing toward the weekend, I don’t want summer to be over.  It’s already the kickoff of the Iowa State Fair and I am itching to get to East Side Night on Friday!  I have to plan my nutrition to allow a small treat

I’ll give you a little peek into some of my more interesting meals of the day:

Lunch was broccoli, chicken, and brown rice.

I love grilled chicken when it gets a little bit black on the edges.  Did you know The Trainer grills chicken for me every other night?  He makes about 10 pieces and it lasts us both about 36 hours.  Crazy!  We are growing to grow feathers!

See the nice crispiness?

After work, I hit up the chiropractor to get my neck put in its place.  Then I hit up the elliptical for some HIIT training.  I blared Pantera songs on repeat and before I knew it, it was over!  I had to run a bunch of errands afterwards:  picked up my wedding dress AND a bridesmaids dress for another friends’ wedding.  By the time I got home, I had actually missed a meal time!  Not good, but I just kind of crunched two meals together to get all my nutrients in.

Main course:  6 egg whites, 1 small piece of grilled chicken, and 1 ounce of jarslberg cheese.

mmmmmm……..

On the side, I enjoyed 2 rice cakes with PB2 on them.  I LOVE using PB2 in smoothies and thought I’d give it a whirl here.  Verdict:  kind of creamy, but very good!

PB2 had more chemicals than I’d like, but it is nice for keeping fat and carbs low and still getting a peanut taste.

Now I am off to watch the grilling action and pack my food for tomorrow.

Oh, check out these hilarious books my mom got for The Trainer and I!  Did you ever read Pat the Bunny when you were a kid?  You have to do the things in the book and kind of learn as you go.  Anyone?

Can you tell that the hair is 3-D?

Judy’s dress is actually impossible to zip…she needs bridal boot camp!  Haha these books are super funny and make a great engagement or wedding gift!

OK, good night for real this time! 

Are you going to the Iowa State Fair?  This year I have 3 trips planned:  East Side Night, the bench press/deadlift meet for The Trainer, and a Sheryl Crow concert!

sweat, work, sweat, eat…repeat August 10, 2010

That is basically the gist of each day for me!

I’m up at 4:30am Monday through Friday.  Even earlier now than my last show!  We moved sort of “out of town” when we built our house so it takes a bit longer to get to the gym.  I usually eat egg whites or a protein shake on the way to the gym.  Yes, I pick up my egg scrambled egg whites with my hands and shove them in my starving mouth!  Classy, yes.  I then eat some oatmeal when I arrive to get some carbs in my system for my workout.

Until this week, I was doing cardio in the morning and weights after work.  To mix things up, I’m trying things the other way around.  Starting yesterday I am doing my lift in the morning.  So, after my lift it is off to WORK!  I am training for a new position right now so the days just fly by!  It’s so nice to love what I am doing at work and in my personal life

At 3:35 I peace out of work and head back to the gym.  If I there were any lifts I couldn’t get squeezed into my morning workout, this is when I finish them.  After that, it’s to the treadmill!

I usually get home around 5:30 or 6 and get some fruit in my system FAST.  I’m pretty much always ravenous at this point so it’s always something tasty.  Then, I start on my meals for the night and packing meals for the next day.  Between cooking, eating, laundry, and cleaning…I’m jam packed until The Trainer gets home!

So, even if you didn’t want to know, that is what my days are like!  I still catch all the smutty TV shows I love on Bravo and manage to read all the gossip magazines at the gym.  And I still hang out with The Trainer, family, and friends.  I may not have as much time to do all of those things, but it’s all about priorities and willpower!  See, a girl really can exercise 11 hours a week and have a good time!

What is your schedule like?  Do you like to exercise in the morning or do you prefer afternoon?