13 weeks down, 5 weeks to go!

I can't believe how fast this contest prep is going by! There have been days that it has dragged, but we are at the tail end! It has been very physically, emotionally, and mentally challenging. I kinda have it good though because I have an amazing boyfriend (who has done this before) that helps me through everything, and knows the tricks of the trade and helps me to stay motivated. Not to mention I have an amazing trainer, Shane Heugly (who is an absolute genius!) and his wife Tiffany. Don't know what I would do with out them!

The progress I have made is incredible and I feel amazing! I have been discouraged against posting any progress pics yet, so I will be posting some right after the show. I am down about 20 lbs and getting so lean! I already look better than I ever have before, besides maybe in high school and I have a six pack!

 I got my suit that I will be wearing for the show this week!! Most expensive swimsuit

 I have ever purchased... but its so pretty! They even gave me a free upgrade on my bling!

Not to mention I get to wear it with these bad boys:

5 inches baby!

The suit was a little intimidating the first time I put it on because well... it doesn't cover very much!

But after wearing it around a little bit more and the more toned I get, the more comfortable I will feel! But I may still tell my mom not to come to the show... lol.

My diet and exercise regimen is really strict. I can't give details but I eat ALOT of protein and veggies, and I eat the same thing EVERYDAY. It was especially hard since I started the week of Thanksgiving. The holidays were killer!

 After a few weeks of eating the same thing every day, you can start going a little crazy, so that's when you gotta get a little creative! Phil and I found this brand of condiments at Harmons that is zero calorie, gluten free, sugar free, and has NO carbs! The brand is Walden Farms. We are obsessed! They make everything! They make all kinds of salad dressings, bbq sauce, pasta sauce, jams, peanut butter spread, and even chocolate, caramel, and marshmallow dips, and they are all pretty tasty! I seriously would probably have died without them. One of my favorite concoctions is my bbq ranch chicken salad:

So huggin delicious!!

Once a week I get to have a cheat meal, which is an extra few hundred calories of whatever I want! This is the most exciting day of the week. Of course we try to squeeze in as much as we can into that calorie allotment to make the most out of it. One week we found a pint of ice cream that is only 150 calories for the whole pint (we found that at Harmons too) and ate it with a pile of cookies! The ice cream wasn't the greatest but it was nice to be able to eat a whole pint:)

My favorite cheat meal so far was the week we made homemade McGriddles. The most delicious thing ever!! We used whole wheat Eggo waffles, egg whites, our Walden Farms zero calories syrup, turkey sausage and a single piece of kraft cheese. And it was only like 350 calories for the whole thing! We also had lil mini blueberry muffins and Sunrise Orange Crystal Light to go along with it :)

McDonalds can suck it!
One top of the entire Walden Farms line a few other things that have got me through are butter spray:

and sugar free gum for my sweet tooth:

not to mention lots and lots of diet soda!

We have already been planning what we are going to eat after the show. I seriously feel like such a fat kid on this diet. I literally have dreams about food almost every night. Last nights food dream was of french toast... lol. When I think about being able to eat regular food again I feel like I just want to gorge and eat everything in sight! But now its been so long since I have been able to eat regular food, I am terrified of gaining all the weight back that I lost and all my hard work going to waste. Its such a bittersweet feeling. I have definitely learned so much on this contest prep that will change the way I will live my life even after the show. I can't wait to see what the next 5 weeks will bring me!