Finally, Some Progress

While my weight yesterday didn't reflect any progress (I gained a little again, up to 141.6), my pictures told a different story. I have definitely tightened up a little bit, mostly in my upperbody though....I know damn well that it takes much more than a small cut in calories and an hour of cardio/day to get my lower body to tighten up, but hey, I'll take what I can get. By the time I leave for Columbus on Thursday, I think I'll be pretty happy with the results of this pseudo-diet. And hopefully my body will be primed and ready to grow again after the Arnold, because my muscle growth seems to have slowed way down in the past several weeks. I had a great anabolic surge coming off my contest diet and was able to really take advantage of that, but as one would expect, it has since plateaued. While I know it'll be completely exhausting, I'm hoping this trip to the Arnold will spark some motivation in me when I come home. It's pretty much a given that seeing all the amazing pros compete will be motivating, but even more so for me will be being around other top national level competitors. Living where I do and being pretty far removed from the sport can sometimes make it difficult to drum up that intensity that I need to keep improving. Being around some of the amazing female bb'ers that I could potentially be on stage with really sparks that desire in me to keep pushing through some of the shitty, down days that come with any sport. Keeps me on my toes and just reminds me how much work I still have to do.

So, in my typical OCD fashion, I have already starting putting stuff aside for next weekend. Ok, to be completely honest, I've already got my suitcases out and partially packed with some clothes. I know, I'm completely rediculous. But for whatever reason, travelling always causes anxiety for me. I just keep reminding myself that I managed to travel by myself to Florida last year for Nationals, and everything was fine. That was a huge deal for me, and I think it was ultimately a very good thing for me. Anyway, I'm also a little stressed about the food situation out there. I don't want to rely on eating protein bars and shit food all weekend. It's bad enough that I won't be sleeping much, so I at least want to be fueling myself with some good food and try to do as little damage as possible. I've already put some protein powder into ziploc bags, and I'm going to measure out some chicken portions and freeze them for the weekend. I'm also going to bring some PB and nuts. I've contemplated making some eggs (maybe hardboiling them?), but I'm still undecided about that. I'm not so sure that I'll really want to eat them anyway. Fortunately for me, my roommie is also planning on trying to keep her eating under control, so it'll make it much easier for me to stay on track. I'm also hoping to be able to train at least one day while I'm out there, but I have to accept that even that might not happen. And if I do get to train, I know that it's probably not even going to be a great workout. Then again, maybe this weekend is what I need to force me to take some time off from training (despite that it'll be a physically draining weekend in and of itself). The last time I took any more than a day off from the gym was when I had my surgery in 2008. Either way, I know it'll be a fun time, and I can't wait!