The End… And the Beginning!

After an extremely long hiatus it is time to announce the closing of this blog (and chapter in my life) and birth of my new blog for my business, Daily Dose Fitness & Coaching.  Me Vs the Bulge will be kept live but no more posts will be added.

I wish to thank each and every one of you for following me over the last couple of years and being so supportive and encouraging.  Without you all I don’t know if I would be the person that I am today and I can’t express my gratitude enough.

So, this is not the end, but a new beginning!  A new life, a new vision, a new meaning and purpose.  A brand new me that I wish to share with you all in my true warts and all fashion. 🙂

Please come on over and read the new blog at Daily Dose Fitness & Coaching!  Can’t wait to see you over there!

Much love,

Amanda Marie

xoxo

Hiatus

You have probably noticed a lack of posts lately… It’s not been intentional, I just literally have so much on my plate that blogging has not been a priority.  This makes me a sad panda.   Much to my suprise I have realised that  I am not some sort of super woman that is able to juggle a million balls at once. *scoff*  I know right?  I couldn’t believe it either.

So, my faithful blog readers,  I have decided to take a little hiatus whilst I get through comp prep.  I may do the occassional post on progress updates and the like but I will mostly be posting short updates and photos on my Facebook and Twitter accounts.  Head over there now and ‘like’ and ‘follow’!

Thanks so much for all your support over the last 2 years!  I have so many people on my team and for that I am eternally grateful.  What started out as just a little weight loss blog to track my own progress turned out to be something that has inspired many (I swear, I’m not tooting my own horn – people contact me!  I’m not just imagining it!) and every day I am shocked and surprised at that.  I am still not used to being described as an “inspirtaion”, but if I have inspired you to lead a healthier and fitter life then hell, that makes me pretty damn happy!

See you on the flip side peeps and remember:

 

 

 

Your Questions Answered, Part 2

I’ve just launched myself into comp prep.  This is day two.   My friend asked me earlier, “How is the chickening coming along?” to which I responded, “So far, so chicken.  I mean so far, so good”.   Mmm chicken, vegetables and rice.  My new best mates.  They will be with me throughout this whole journey and they are with me right now as I type this post.

I wonder when I am going to get sick of eating this?  One week?  Two?  Will I be able to switch off that part of my brain entirely and just man up and eat it every day without complaint?  Time will tell, my pretties, time will tell.

So, onto the next instalment of Your Questions Answered.  I am still so surprised at all the questions that cropped up!  You know, it is so incredibly humbling to have so many people behind me throughout all of this.  The continued support I get from my online followers is nothing short of astounding.  I feel as if I know many of you personally now and have formed great bonds and friendships!  You guys rock!  And I won’t let you down.  🙂

12 weeks out from first comp!

@monstar1984 asked:

Any insights you can share on the positives will help my motivation!

The positives I have found from losing weight are endless.  It’s really not just about physicality – sure I get a kick out of looking better, wearing nice clothes, feeling more comfortable in a bikini and so on and so forth but it’s the absolute mental clarity that I have experienced that has been the biggest positive for me.

I think once you push yourself to succeed in anything in life you get an enormous sense of self-worth.  You begin to realise that you are actually worth something, that you can do anything you put your mind to.   And from that you gain a lot of respect for yourself and your inner-strength begins to shine through.

I now feel more positive, more focused and more at peace with myself.  There’s no more internal battles in my mind about feeling uncomfortable in my own skin.  Yes, I do have my moments with self-doubt but they are not hanging over me every waking moment of the day like they used to.

It has taken the better part of 2 years for me to get this far, but it has been worth it.  I am beginning to love who I am, which is not something that I have ever felt before.  It’s  a good thing.  🙂

@IndianaHolley asked:

Would love to know whether you struggled with PMT/hormones during this time and how you over came that?

I think pretty much the whole time I was losing weight I struggled with hormones due to my PCOS.  The weight loss was PAINFULLY slow and it was hard to envision the slender light at the end of the fat tunnel!

There was not much I could really do about that.  I could take the pills the Dr gave me that made me feel nauseous, I could whinge, cry and complain and insist that I’ll be fat forever OR I could basically put some belief into myself and tell myself that I can and WILL do it.  Which option do you think I went with?  😉

It was hard work (still is) and at times I felt like I had to work harder than anyone else to lose weight.  But I never gave up.  I visualised the end result – the healthier, fitter, smaller version of me and I never lost sight of that image.  It’s quite easy to re-route your thinking once you get in the habit of it!  Even if you don’t believe yourself at first, you eventually will.   The mind is a very tricky and powerful thing!

@jadegrrrl asked:

Was there a turning point diet wise when you started eating clean or was it gradual?  Did you have slip ups?  I’m struggling.

If you go back over my blog and through the recipes and meal plans, you can see my eating habits gradually change to be cleaner and cleaner.  I first started with just counting calories and not paying too much mind to being “clean” exactly, but rather just trying to be as healthy as possible.  Every time I would plateau, maybe every 4 – 6 weeks, I would change up the diet and make adjustments.

Eventually I found the most success with just being as clean as possible – no additives, no sugar, no artificial flavours or colourings – just fresh, whole, natural produce.  I actually LOVE eating this way.  It tastes so much better!

Yep, I’ve had slip ups – definitely!  I’m no saint, I guarantee you!  There have been times where I have found myself shovelling junk food into my face with careless abandon and I would fall into a deep depression after that, scolding myself for letting my resolve drop for those few moments.  But afterwards I would always simply dust myself off and start again.

Those moments then became few and far between as I noticed more and more changes within myself and the respect for myself grew.  I didn’t want to disappoint myself!  If I failed, I only had myself to blame.  And there was no way I was going to fail!  That’s how I feel to this day, especially as comp time draws near – failure is not an option!

I’m not saying that people need to eat like a body builder to get results.  But I do advocate eating a healthy, clean and balanced diet at least 90% of the time.  Don’t deprive yourself of a treat now and then!  You really appreciate them when you don’t have them so often.  Keep up your exercise, fuel your body with nutritious and whole foods, switch it up when results lag and just give it TIME.  It WILL happen if you work hard at it.

As they always say, “I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy, I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it”.

Your Questions Answered, Part 1

The other day I sent out a tweet and a Facebook status asking people to send me any questions that they might have in regards to my weight loss journey over the last 2 years and I was blown away by all the questions that came flooding through!  So, I will answer as many as possible over the next few blog posts and you are definitely welcome to keep sending them through!

@enzee17 asked:

I’d love to see an example of a food diary for a day from your old life compared to your new life.

I’ve been thinking about doing a post on this for a while now!  So here it is:

Old me:

Breakfast – would usually be toast with vegemite and margarine or 3 weet-bix with a teaspoon of sugar and milk.

Morning tea – cup of tea with milk and 2 sugars and biscuits from the biscuit jar at work.

Lunch – I used to buy my lunch a lot so I would either get a sandwich, sushi, salad… whatever I could grab really.  I tried to eat healthy where I could but I didn’t really understand nutrition the way that I do now so often my food choices were not the best but I rarely ate fast food so I thought that I was being good!

Afternoon tea – muesli bar, diet yoghurt or a piece of fruit always followed by… more biscuits. 😐

Dinner – I used to use those Masterfoods meal bases a lot or jars of sauces like Kang Tong or Chicken Tonight to make casseroles, pasta dishes and stir fries.  I used to think I was a really good cook when using these things!  A regular Martha Stewart!  I didn’t realise how full of sugar, salt and preservatives they are… Also, my dinner servings would be HUGE and were always washed down with soft drink.  I’d also make buttery mashed potatoes and fatty cuts of meat (pork chops, sausages, lamb cutlets etc) but I would always serve them with salad or vegetables and this made me think that I was being “healthy”.

Dessert – I’d generally always have something sweet after dinner like ice-cream or chocolate.

New me:

I’m not really able to give out my full diet in its exact entirety as my coach has devised it for me and it is her intellectual property but I can say the basics!

I eat a lot of oats, eggs, low fat natural yoghurt, berries, tuna, brown rice, fresh vegetables, fresh salads, fish, chicken, lean cuts of red meat, sweet potato, whey protein, rice cakes, low fat cottage cheese, natural peanut butter, fruit (one piece of low sugar fruit daily)… It’s very varied at the moment!  I don’t know exact calories, I just eat as clean as possible.

I do not have artificial foods or diet soft drinks – everything I eat is as close to its natural state as possible (except cheat meals where anything is fair game)!  This is the way I have been eating for a good 6 months or more now and have gotten great results.

I use flavourings like herbs, spices, chilli, garlic, ginger, tamari and stevia.  Essentially it’s pretty much a typical body builders diet.  In the next week or so it will tighten up A LOT and I will go into a strict comp prep diet that isn’t reasonable for anyone to follow, except if you are competing!

Progress Pic, January 2012

@Addicted_Cloth asked:

I would like to know how you conquered seeing food as a fuel and not pleasure – my BIGGEST problem.

Some time ago I wrote a blog post on this called It’s Time to Disconnect.  I just read it then and I still feel the same way.  Actually, I feel even MORE comfortable with seeing food as fuel because of the results I have gotten from eating clean and the close proximity of my comps!

I guess when you want something SO BADLY all temptation falls away.  I am so intently focused on my goal of rocking it on stage and achieving the best physique that my body is able to give me that I find it easy to switch off the little voice in my head that is begging me for tasty treats when I need to. You just have to make your goal THAT important to you.

But I will be honest here, over the last week or so I have been having more cheat meals scattered throughout the week because I know that in a weeks time I will be going 100% clean so I’m getting any last bits of cravings out of the way now so I can totally switch into machine mode when I need to without feeling like I’ve missed out on something.

I also thrive on routine and repetition.  Knowing that I have all my meals set out for me and ready to grab when I need them is extremely comforting to me and makes me feel really at ease, even if it is the same meals over and over again.  I don’t know exactly why, but I guess it’s because I just don’t have to worry about it and I can focus my mental energy into my training and getting through my day-to-day life.  It’s just one less thing to worry about.  If you make it not an issue, it won’t be an issue.  It really is a mental thing that takes quite some time to figure out, I won’t lie!

Welcome to the Gun Show!

Well, there’s 2 questions answered!  I’ve got a whole heap more coming up!  This has been fun actually and has helped me get my blogging mojo back!  Looking forward to what else you guys come up with and I hope this helps.  🙂

Build My Body Supplement Pack Competition!

My WONDERFUL sponsors over at Build My Body have been kind enough to put together a little pack for me to giveaway to one of my lucky blog readers!   These are all products that I personally use and endorse!

Pack Includes:

• ON Opti-women High Potency Multi-vitamins;
• Inner Armour L-Carnitine; and
• Gaspari MyoFusion Protein Powder in Milk Chocolate

All you have to do to win this FABULOUS pack is head on over to Facebook and like my Facebook page and also like Build My Body’s Facebook page then post a status on your profile that says:

“I want to win a @Build My Body – Supplements pack please @Amanda’s Daily Dose of Awesome because [insert exciting and original reason here]”

The bold parts are where you need to mention both my facebook page and Build My Body’s Facebook page.  If you don’t tag us in your status I won’t be able to see your entry on my wall and your chances of winning reduce to zero!   Note, when you post your status update, change the setting from “Friends” to “Public” on the drop down so that we can see it on our walls.

If you are entering the comp via twitter, simply follow me (@mevsthebulge) and Build My Body (@BMBSupplements) and send a tweet that says:

“I want to win a@BMBSupplements pack please @mevsthebulge because [insert exciting and original reason here]”

I must see that you are following us both to win!

Also, yes, they are women’s multi-vitamins but don’t let that stop the fellas from entering!  I’m sure you all know a special lady that needs some vitamins in her life!

A winner will be selected at random on Friday the 20th of January at 10am EST.  Sorry, competition entry only available to Australian Residents.

Get cracking people!  This is your chance to start the year off with a bang and get your best body yet! 😀

Plan of Attack!

Firstly, here we go again, I’m going to apologise for my lack of blogging. I probably don’t speak about this enough but the mental and physical strain of training and preparing for competition is huge.

I find I have little time for anything else except training, eating, thinking about eating, thinking about training, thinking about the comp, planning my meals, organising my supplements and sleeping. My whole life is centred around achieving this goal and the pressure is on. It’s not unwelcome pressure and it’s nothing I can’t handle but it’s pressure nonetheless.

And I have placed this pressure on myself, like any athlete. And yes, body building is a sport! I aim to be the best that I can be and I won’t settle for anything less.

I’m constantly repeating mantras in my mind, listening to songs about determination and achieving success and surrounding myself with positive and supportive people. I don’t have any room for negative energy at the moment and the slightest amount of negativity can cause a crack in the all-important shield of goodness I am building up around myself. I’m putting myself out there to be judged on my physicality alone – it’s a pretty daunting thing! So I need as much positive energy as I can get right now!

So, speaking of putting myself out there, here is the competition schedule that I am considering:

April 22 – WNBF Sydney, South Juniors Rugby League Club (Best Body Swimsuit)

April 28/29 – INBA Sydney National Physique Titles, Filex Expo (Sportsmodel)

May 20 – ANB Sydney National Physique Titles, Castle Hill RSL (Fitness Model)

June 3 – INBA City National Champs, Castle Hill RSL

June 24 – INBA All Female Classic, Mooney Ponds VIC

(Click on the links above to check out the judging criteria for each federation – the INBA link especially has some comprehensive info on how the competition is judged)

I am incredibly thankful and lucky to have my good friend Charlotte (check out her profile on the amazing site Inspirational Bodies) coaching me and assisting me with the preparation for the competitions ahead. I thought at first I could go this alone but it’s so much better having someone there alongside you, guiding you and supporting you. She has a wealth of knowledge and did AMAZINGLY well in her first competition year so with her help I know I am going to smash this. I’ve promised her I will listen to everything she says, I trust her 100%!

Now, onto the exciting things like bikinis and shoes! I just got SO excited typing that! I can’t wait til everything comes together on the day – that’s when all the hard work, sweat and tears pays off! I wish I could fast-forward to see what I will look like! Eeeek!

I’m strongly considering this Dana Carmont bikini. Dana’s bikinis really stand out on stage and I have seen quite a few girls win wearing them and, god damn it, I want to be a winner! 😀 (big shout out to the guys at Build My Body, the best sponsors in the world, who are purchasing this fine garment for me! Hola!)

Sexy Cut Deep Purple http://www.danacarmont.com

I’ll also be contacting Dana shortly about posing classes. I think this is going to be my biggest thing to overcome… I really don’t want to look like a deer in headlights up there and let’s face it, I’m a pretty awkward poser, so I’m going to need LOTS and LOTS of practice!

Shoes, shoes, shoes… why do they have to be SO tacky?! Haha! I get that the clear stripper heels make the legs look leaner and longer but geeze Louise… those shoes. Ah well. Maybe I’ll embrace them and start wearing them out at night… cough, yeah right, cough.

I think I’ll go for a 5 inch heel with no platform but I am not sure if I’ll go for one with an ankle strap or a slip-on. The last thing I want is to trip over on stage and I am a NOTORIOUS klutz (I once fell off the back of a stage accepting an award for work… yep… that happened). So the temptation to have an ankle strap is BIG. Check out the shoes here.

I also need to start thinking about hair, accessories, a dress for the dress round in the WNBF comp… It’s only 4 months away! It’s hard to even CONSIDER these things when I don’t even have the body yet! Oh baby cheeses, how I want that body NOW please! Must be patient…

I start dieting down in exactly 2o days. That means no more cheat meals and an extremely strict and repetitive diet from 13 weeks prior to my first comp all the way up until my last comp. I have already sworn off alcohol (I didn’t drink often to begin with and have not touched a drink for a month now) and I am starting to mentally prepare myself for the road ahead. Gotta totally be on the ball and keep my eyes on the prize! There is no room for failure!

Hopefully I have painted a picture of what I am going through right now! I’ll leave you with a current progress pic and I’ll endeavour to update this more often, even if it is just small posts to say what I am doing, thinking or feeling.

Big love to you all who have supported me over the last 2 years! I am forever thankful. x

Dexa Scan – Follow Up

Way back in August I went for my first dexa scan.  When I left Jarrod at MeaureUp that first time I vowed that I would reach my goals of achieving 23% body fat and having between 10kg and 15kg of fat mass in 12 weeks.  I went back to Jarrod recently, about 16 weeks later, and here is how I went!

August Results

Body fat percentage: 27.6%

Fat mass: 18.5kg

Lean muscle mass: 45.8kg

Body Part Breakdown:

Each arm: approx 1kg fat mass; 2.2kg muscle mass
Trunk: approx 6kg fat mass; 23kg muscle mass
Each leg: approx 4.5kg fat mass; 7.8kg muscle mass

December Results

Body fat percentage: 21.9% (5.7% drop GOAL REACHED)

Fat mass: 13.8kg (4.7kg drop GOAL REACHED)

Lean muscle mass: 46.4kg (600g gain)

Body Part Breakdown:

Each arm: approx 700g fat mass; 2.4kg muscle mass (a drop of 200g in fat and a gain of 200g in muscle in each arm)
Trunk: approx 4kg fat mass; 23kg muscle mass (a drop of 2kg in fat and a small increase in muscle)
Each leg: approx 3.5kg fat mass; 7.5kg muscle mass (a drop of 1kg in fat and a small decrease in muscle in each leg)

December Scan

I’m extremely pleased with my results!  I now have no doubt in my mind that I will be stage ready in 4 months (YES!  4 months!  More on my comp in an upcoming post!).

To be in a good position for comp I need to lose another 4kg of fat.  I think that is very doable seeing that I just lost that amount in 4 months and I wasn’t even on a hard cutting diet!  Nor was I very strict with my cardio either.

I am extremely excited to see what changes my body is going to make over the next few months and can’t wait to share it all with you guys!  Stay tuned! 🙂

Blackmores Product Trial

As per my last post, I mentioned that Blackmores had kindly sent me some products to trial.   I’m not even going to exaggerate here, but a couple of these products literally have changed my life and I now SWEAR by them.

It all started with a phone call to the wonderful Kate Ferguson, an advisory naturopath for Blackmores.   I’d never consulted with a naturopath before and I knew from my Health Assessment that I had some issues that I needed to resolve, so I was very much looking forward to hearing what she had to say!

I outlined to Kate my current diet and exercise regime and then we spoke about some of the issues I was experiencing around digestion, recovery and sleep.

We addressed digestion first.   So, for a while I had been experiencing severe bloatedness and adverse reactions to certain foods (oats being the main culprit).  My high protein diet was starting to wreak havoc with my insides and I was feeling uncomfortable for much of the day.  Look, I won’t go into too much gory detail here, but I think you’re catching my drift.  Please tell me you are because I am not going THERE.   Okay?  Good.  Moving along then (awwwwkwaaaarddd).

Kate assessed my symptoms and diet thought I would really benefit from using a digestive enzyme supplement. Blackmores Origins Digestive Enzymesis a broad spectrum enzyme to help improve digestion and relieve symptoms of bloating and heart burn.

The following article provides some additional information on how digestive enzymes work:  http://www.blackmores.com.au/learning-centre/article/digestive-enzyme-your-way-to-good-health

This product has changed my life.  I can now eat oats without discomfort and I have not experienced any of the symptoms I had prior to using this product!   She also recommended that I keep drinking my T2 Detox tea and peppermint tea as it’s great for digestion, bloating and cramping.

Next we addressed fatigue.  Important nutrients to help support energy levels are magnesium (helps with muscular aches, pains and cramping) and the B group vitamins.  I was using Blackmore’s Bio Magnesium in tablet form but I must admit I had been a bit slack in remembering to take it everyday.  Kate recommended I try Blackmores Magnesium Powder which contains magnesium and B vitamins and that I should take it in conjunction with my multi vitamin.

I am now loving my magnesium powder.  I have noticed a considerable improvement in energy levels since taking it and recovery has been better too (come on!  More energy!).

Lastly, we spoke about sleep.   I’d been finding it hard to drift off to sleep and when I’d finally GET to sleep, I would find myself waking up in intervals throughout the night.  Kate said that the essential oils roman chamomile and lavender applied to the back of the neck are great to help relax you and support a good night’s sleep.  A lavender pillow or lavender eye mask also works well too.

Kate said that having my energy levels properly supported during the day with B vitamins and having magnesium will help to improve my sleep (which they have) and she also suggested I have a look at Blackmores Sleep Sound Formula  or Tranquil Night.  She sent me some Sleep Sound Formula to try and I will report that I am now a valerian junkie.  This stuff REALLY works and I have found myself drifting off to sleep easier and staying asleep for longer.  It takes a week or so to start working but it’s well worth the wait.

I definitely recommend the experience of consulting with a naturopath.  Just a few small additions to my regime and the improvements are something I would DEFINITELY write home about.  Mum?  Are you reading this?  Expect a hand written letter soon!

Have you ever consulted a naturopath or tried any of the products mentioned above?  Share your experiences below!

Winners – Blackmore Personal Health System Giveaway!

Congratulations to Karam Lee and Jenna Kaz!

You have both won a 0ne month pass to Blackmore’s Personal Health System.  WOO HOO!

I will be in contact with you both shortly via email with instructions on how to claim your prize.

This competition was drawn using Random.org.

Giveaway: Balancing Health and Wellbeing with Blackmores!

I was recently contacted by Blackmore’s to do a review of their new “Personal Health System”.  At first, I was a bit wary.  I get asked to do a lot of product reviews and I like to align myself only with things that I truly believe in and things that I think are relevant to mine and my reader’s interests.  So I had a quick squiz (yes, squiz, I’m standing by that word!) at the site and I was actually pleasantly surprised by what I saw!

Developed specifically for time-poor Australians, The Blackmores Personal Health System (PHS) takes Blackmores’ expert understanding of nature and science a step further, providing an individually tailored online health program which combines the latest interactive technology with personal support from Blackmores’ team of naturopaths.

Basically, it is a 360 degree holistic approach to health including menu plans, nutrition advice, fitness suggestions, and a community of support as well as a lot more. It gives time-poor people the opportunity to stay fit and healthy wherever they are, whenever they want, with the support they need.  Blackmores has also welcomed Asher Keddie (Australian actress and star of TV show OffSpring) as their inaugural PHS member and ambassador.

I decided to trial the Sport & Fitness Program as it was most relevant to my goals.   The first thing I did was get stuck into the Health Assessment which was VERY thorough!  I may have giggled at how many questions about pooh it asks but hey, a healthy pooh is very important!  😉  My overall score was 82/100 which is 14 points above the average of all females.   It went on to show the areas that are letting me down – vitality and digestive health being the main culprits.  But after having a chat to one of their wonderful naturopaths and being sent some awesome supplements to try, I’m pleased to report that these issues are no longer such a problem for me!  I’ll provide a review on these products in another post!

Once I had completed the assessment I started browsing the other areas of the program.  There was really nothing that it didn’t cover – it has everything!  It provides you with a menu plan, a workout plan, a food and workout diary, a My Body tracking system (where you can record PBs, your weight and measurements – SO motivating!), access to email your assigned naturopath whenever you see fit (my FAVOURITE feature) as well as an awesome resource library that has great articles on nutrition, exercise and healthy living.   There is also a great forum with over 308,000 members and growing!  I personally think that being a part of a community is highly beneficial to reaching your goals as it provides an invaluable amount of support and motivation.

I honestly can not speak highly enough about this system!  I have only covered the basics of it too, it offers so much more!  And lucky for you guys I have TWO FREE one-month passes to giveaway (valued at $49.95 each)!

To win just leave a comment below on why you think you are deserving to win this prize!  A winner will be drawn at random on Monday the 12th of December at approximately 9:00am EST.

Get in quick guys!  This is a great way to help you start your new year (and new you!) with a bang!