8 Weeks Out!

As of tomorrow I am 8 weeks out from my first NPC Bikini Competition. June 14th I will be on a stage in that bikini and those stripper heels showing off all the progress I've made. I'm anxious, excited, nervous, and super proud of all the progress i've made so far. I still can't quite picture what competition day is going to be like or what I'm going to look like but I think I'm already hooked! This will probably be the first of many.

Saying that though, this week has been really tough. I was getting frustrated that the scale wasn't moving. Seriously, 3 weeks no scale movement! I know I've been making progress because i can see it and feel it but the scale should have moved at least a little bit! Even a 0.5 pound loss and I would have been happy! So with that frustration I decided it was time to add in a lot more cardio and interval training to get the stubborn fat off.

Also those who know me well know that I actually am not a huge fan of food. Yep. I know, its weird but in college I remember telling people I would love it if I could just get all my essential nutrients from an IV and just leave enough room for empty calories from treats. I do have a huge sweet tooth though. So this whole strict meal plan thing, I didn't think would be too much of a problem eating the same thing everyday, at the same time... My problem is actually eating everything I'm supposed to. I have a very busy job in which I'm not necessarily at my desk or in the office when I think I will be. So skipping meals happens a lot. My first thought was, "Hey no big deal. I consumed less calories than my body is burning so I'll lose more!" ::Insert loud buzzer noise here!::  NO! Unfortunately what I was doing is not fueling the muscles am trying so hard to train and develop. Knowing that, it's still hard to get in all my meals but I'm making a conscious effort to get all of them in, on time, and finish them.

I bought a few new toys to help me do this. First a few weeks ago I got this nifty little Six Pack cooler. It holds enough meals for the work day. And second I bought a jawbone UP24. As long as I use it right and track everything I'm eating it give me a good picture of my progress. Plus I set alarms so the band vibrates at my meal times! That's pretty cool!

So with adding in extra cardio and still working on getting in all the macros I need to, this week has been really hard. I'm exhausted, I'm cranky, I'm sore. But I'm really proud of how this is all coming together. For supplementation, I'm back on MNS 3, Catalyst, Nighttime Recovery and starting this weekend I'm going to add in ThermoPlus. And of course Spark whenever necessary.

Eleusinia & Make A Wish Fundraising

On Sunday San Diego Chi Omegas gathered to celebrate 119 years of Sisterhood. Sisters from different colleges all over the country joined the Actives from UCSD for a luncheon where we enjoyed the company of one another knowing that we all shared one the values of Chi Omega. At the beginning of the luncheon we had each member come up and place a pin on a map of the US to represent their college chapter.

I'm so honored to be the President of the Alumnae group because I have the opportunity to meet so many with so many accomplished women as well as the UCSD women who are on their way to being superstars in their own right.
Not only did we sit and chat and eat lunch, but we also raised a lot of money for a very important cause. The Make A Wish foundation has be the national philanthropy for Chi Omega since 2002 and nation wide Chi Omega has raised over $9.5 million dollars and volunteered over half a million hours to the Make A Wish Foundation. On Sunday a couple of our local San Diego sisters who are Independent distributors for various companies; Stella & Dot, Scensty, Origami Owl, and I was there with Advocare products, as well as one store owner, Perspectives at Moonlight Beach (a must see store if you are ever in the Encinitas/Luecadia area!) set up tables and agreed to donate a portion of their proceeds to The San Diego Alumnae Group's Make a Wish fund so we can grant their second wish to a deserving child. In addition to the proceeds all donated an item or two to a raffle. The raffle itself with only 10 items raised $400! Way to Go Chi O's!!!
We haven't figured out exactly how much we raised from the proceeds yet because all of the vendors agreed to extend the donations to online sales over the next few days as well. I am continuing that as well. I will donate 20% of my proceeds from any orders through April 13th. Also I'm gearing up for a May Pool/Beach Prep group challenge (Finishing just in time to look amazing for Memorial Day parties!) and I will donate $1 a Pound for every Chi Omega (and family) pound lost! Extra motivation to get husbands/boyfriends on the challenge too. Check out this website for more details on the 24 Day challenge and email me to join the Challenge bedford.jessm@gmail.com.