Intermittent Fasting Experiment

If this sparked your interest- keep reading. 

*From article #2 listed below if you want to check it out further.

^This is after my 1 WEEK experiment^ 

My whole experiment is all down below! 

Are you familiar with the term intermittent fasting (IF)? I've been doing my research, but I'm still far from being an expert. This may or may not be for you so don't think I'm trying to encourage this. Just something I've been researching lately to see if it's something I like and want to maintain as a lifestyle. 

Basically, you choose to eat during a 2-8 hour window and fast the rest (not eat). There are different ways that people do this, and even people who fast up to 24hrs, but basically you are still eating your calories/macros that you normally would through an entire 24 hours, just in a smaller window, within however many meals you want. Less time to eat = bigger meals = more satisfaction = less obsessing about food. That's how I see it anyways. I will also be training fasted because I train in the mornings. If you workout in the afternoons/evenings, and want to workout fasted, you must wait at least 4 hours since your meal. 

There are so many benefits of IF. I would write them all out, but honestly I'm no scientist and would just be copying out of these great articles, so instead, I listed my 5 favorites.

Of course there are pros and cons and articles about the negatives out there as well- such as muscle loss, etc- but as with anything, it's about what works for YOU. I found the most helpful and easy to understand articles, and if you're interested to learn further, click through them.

1. A Beginner's Guide to Intermittent Fasting
2. Wanna Lose Fat? Then Stop Eating! Dr. Sara Solomon
3. Fitness RX for Women - Intermittent Fasting
4. Intermittent Fasting 101 - How To Start Burning Fat
5. Muscle & Strength - Understanding of IF 

I'm experimenting for ME, for one basic reason:
My eating was out of control after my show after being deprived and controlled for so many months- I have always had the mindset, that the fitness industry has fed me over the years, that I need to eat as soon as I wake up, I need to eat 6-7 small meals a day and I need to eat every 2-3 hours if I want to gain/maintain muscle and burn body fat. It's been driving me crazy. I feel unsatisfied after these 6-7 small meals, being hungrier in the evenings because I had to eat my biggest meal for breakfast and causing me to want to snack all damn day and going all over my macros. Once I start eating, I just wanted to eat from the time I woke up until the time I went to sleep! Weather you choose to do this the "clean eating" way or "flexible dieting" way is up to you, macros are macros. I choose flexible dieting of course. #iifym

**IMPORTANT**
-This all does not mean that you will lose xlbs a week 
-This is not for everyone
-This is not a starvation diet! 
-This is not a temporary fix nor a fad diet
-I'm currently reverse dieting 

What I will be doing: 
-Hitting MY usual "full days worth" of reverse dieting macros
-Eating window from noon-2000 (8hrs)
-Fasting window from 2000-noon (16hrs)
-1-2 cups coffee in the AM; Will be using sugar free creamer and stevia drops and not exceeding 50 calories to stay in the fasted state
-Usual supps and vitamins before/after gym
(Xtend BCAAs, Beast creatine, multi-vit, fish-oil)

Monday: Sucked it up and stepped on the scale… Hoping and praying it was all water weight last week and I wouldn't be far up from my stage weight. Wrong. I was up 11 freakin pounds. 137.6. (I stepped on stage at 126lbs- still high for my height). You can understand how upsetting this is. Yes, my dieting wasn't on point with reversing, so I guess it's my fault. It's amazing how fast my body rebounded. I know things need to change, which is mainly why I decided to try this. 

Today I did heavy legs & HIIT cardio. I was worried this morning that I wouldn't have strength and feel tired through my workout, but I wasn't! After getting over (ignoring) the initial hunger and stomach rumbles, I felt focused and ready. I did my workout full-force and felt great. Of course I was hungry by noon and broke my fast with a huge stack of protein pancakes! YUM! I think tomorrow I'll go bigger for my fast breaker. Yay carbs!! 

meal #1

kcal/c/f/p/fiber

#2

kcal/c/f/p/fiber

#3

kcals/c/f/p/fiber

#4/Dessert

kcal/c/f/p/fiber

Today went awesome. I also had a few Haribo gummy bears & 1/2 pack of Nature Valley's PB granola bar because I had carb macros leftover (surprisingly), but I felt full and satisfied all day instead of snacking 6x between my 6 small meals. Last meal was a little before 9 because I couldn't get it in by 8. Oh well, feeling in control again and hopeful that this my be the right route for me. 

MyFitnessPal: coralbaby

IG: coralsuarez

Tuesday: This morning I felt a bit hungry but soon forgot about it and went about my morning. Went to the gym for back/bis and cardio and felt great. Didn't feel sluggish, lazy and tired from having breakfast. By noon my tummy was growling though and I broke my fast with another giant loaded pancake and added oatmeal on the side! Feeling full and satisfied :) 

Today's menu hahaha

I used to have it set up as meal #1-#6. I would eat 6 small meals and snack all between them. Now I have this plus a "breakfast" part up top, where I just add in my vitamins and coffee/creamer for the whole day. My meals are pretty basic at the moment as I'm still trying to gain control of this reverse diet. I probably should eat more fruits & veggies, but my fiber has been totaling up as I want. 

Wednesday: Woke up earlier than usual with Sylas and he took a longer nap so my time from when I was up until I hit the gym was a bit longer and I was tempted to nibble at something… but I resisted. My workout went great and I was HAAANGRY by noon! As I cooked my giant protein pancakes & oats I went upstairs to check my weight. I was super nervous. 133.0! That's 3.6lbs down since Monday!! Phewwwww. Sure, it may be water weight. But, I know what I'm doing is working now and I feel fantastic as well. Of course I'm not one to be "all about the scale" but it's nice to know that I can gain control again WHILE I feel good, healthy and strong. Super important to have energy and love the process again.

#1

kcal/c/f/p/fiber

#2

kcal/c/f/p/fiber

#3

forgot to take photo of my chicken, egg whites and spinach mix.. 

it wasn't that special lol just had to get that protein in

kcal/c/f/p/fiber

#4/Dessert

kcal/c/f/p/fiber

I originally had different stuff planned for #3 and #4, but I decided to make those 'Soda Cupcakes' that I found on pinterest and had to adjust. Fiber ended up being lower than I wanted but it happens. I have been eating my second meal around 1600~1700 so I'm actually cramming down #3 and dessert right at 2000.

*WARNING* You can't eat just one! Soda Cupcakes: You can opt out the protein powder, but I added 2 scoops of Cellucor Cor-Fetti Cake Batter, 1 can room temp Diet Coke and brownie mixture. That's it! Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes, just like regular muffins. Enjoy! 

Thursday: The hunger feeling in the AM doesn't bother me anymore. I was kind of thinking… Even the days I'd eat breakfast, I was still hungry and just wanted to keep eating after anyways, so having this time frame control is nice. Feeling hungry again is nice. Not that I'm saying I like feeling hungry, but before, every time I felt a little hunger I would just fill it with whatever. I worked shoulders, tris and chest and had a great pump! Soooooo, I had my whole days' of food planned. I broke my fast again with the loaded pancake buuuuuuuut, I didn't go with what I had planned for the rest of the day and didn't feel like tracking. Today I intuitively ate. I still ate within my window, but I know I went over my carbs, and I'm okay with it. I didn't bother tracking so I wouldn't feel guilty for having some rice cakes with peanut butter and white chocolate… heheee :p I'll go back to my plan tomorrow. Had a nice chill day. It's nice not constantly being on MFP and weighing food.

Friday: Weighed in at 134.0lbs. One pound up from Wednesday, but not surprising considering all the chocolate and peanut butter I had yesterday. Oopsie. Life goes on ;) But I plan on sticking to it today because I actually want to follow my little experiment through. Worked legs and HIIT cardio and felt wonderful. Didn't break my fast until 1:30! Omg I was so hungry. Not intentionally. Went to the gym later and ran a few errands right after and by the time I was home, put Sylas down for his nap, showered and done cooking, it was a lot later then I thought... but I survived ;)

#1

kcal/c/f/p/fiber

combined #2 & #3

kcal/c/f/p/fiber

#4/Dessert

kcal/c/f/p/fiber

Surprise. I don't always take pictures of my food :p

Saturday: Saturdays are my days I promised myself I would not track anything. Intuitively eat. I know I did that once unintentionally earlier this week, but I'm still sticking to it for mental breaks. I'm not in prep, I'm in "off season" or "improvement season" or just ME season, and need to learn to not obsess. So, instead of going to the gym, I skipped it and went to the Hartford Europa Expo! I've always wanted to go to one of those. I ended up fasting until 330pm when I got home! I left around 11 to the expo and was busy walking around, entertaining my son and watching the events that I didn't think about food and my body wasn't starving. By the time I got home though, I felt it and broke my fast with a diff kind of huge protein pancake. Instead of the coconut flour (because I'm out) I used 10g of Phillsbury Confetti pancake mix (no fiber though) with the rest the pretty much the same. Idk, I didn't measure the ingredients out. Soooo fluffy. Sooo yummy. I had a baby shower to go to for the second half of the day and since it's at my in-law's there is always really yummy food! Had a DD iced coffee with 1 scoop protein powder before, and then I had some steak and cheesy potatoes and a piece of marble cake! Eating window still closed at 8! No guilt was felt. 

Sunday: Usually my "rest days" from training, but I decided to go train. Because I wanted to! Not had to. Had a great fasted heavy back day and short HIIT cardio. Broke my fast at noon and stuck to my plan as close as possible. The family had a pool and grill day so I had a hamburger. Not worth the fat and calories that I had to work around and adjust :/ I had to lower my carbs because my fats were so high today. But when stuff like that happens, you just move on. You just pick back up and keep on going. No point trying to "erase" damage by lowering calories or adding in extra cardio to beat yourself up. Especially if you're not in prep or anything. Life happens. Things come up. You're HUMAN when you slip up and fall off the plan. You haven't failed until you've given up. So don't give up! I feel like when I try to "undo" the damage, I cause more. 

#1

#2

#3

#4

Monday Conclusion: I went back and forth thinking if I should weigh myself. I don't want to get consumed with numbers again so I will not be weighing myself 3x a week after this. Not even once a week. I decided to just to finish out this experiment though- 132.6! Probably a lot of water weight, but not all. THE POINT is that I was able to gain control of myself again, I didn't feel obsessed over food or snack all day and felt satisfied! Sometimes even so full that I didn't know if I was going to get it all in before 8. I didn't feel weak in the gym-- I actually always felt more focused and kept adding weight and lifting heavier. My body and mind feels better. It's amazing what the body can do. I ate intuitively 2x and trained 6x. This week I was in about a 700-800 calorie surplus too than from those last 2-3 weeks of prep! 300ish calories from nutrition and 300-400 calories from not doing cardio twice a day. You cannot outsmart your body! Feed it. Take care of it. Love yourself. I will definitely be sticking to this intermittent fasting lifestyle. I loved it! I hope to get better and better at it and see some awesome results in the mirror- body composition, strength (mental and physical) over NUMBERS on the stupid scale. That's all that matters!! You could reach your goal weight, but that does not fix how you feel on the inside and abut yourself. A goal weight does not and will not change the inside… that all takes time. Self-love, confidence, knowing you're worth it, feeling happy and healthy is so much more than a goal weight. I don't even have a goal weight?? I've fluctuated between 120-135lbs and have looked many different ways so it really doesn't matter! 

Hope you found this all somewhat helpful?? :D I'm so glad I tried it! 

If you have any questions on this, interested in online coaching (training and macro nutrition pal), or anything feel free to contact me: 

suarezcoral@hotmail.com

IG: coral.suarez

xoxo

What is Reverse Dieting?

Reverse + diet?? The hell? Seems like everyone is doing it these days. When I first heard about this, I was a few months pregnant back in October 2012. I kept seeing people hashtag '#reversediet' on allllll these delicious looking foods on IG. Along with "#iifym." I seriously thought, what is this new diet?? Most of the people still had great abs, strength and looked great and fit! Growing up, and especially as a women, society tries to teach you that in order to look good you need to do a lot of cardio and not eat too much, especially not a lot of protein, but instead, eat a lot of fruits and yogurts, granola, or whatever. 

diet: noun

1: the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats

2: a special course of food to which one restricts oneself, either to lose weight or for medical reasons.

So reverse, is… well, reversing from lowering calories/adding cardio. 

When you've gone down down down… sometimes there's no where to go but reverse upwards.

Towards the end of my prep, the last 3-4 weeks, I was on about 1100-1200 calories. Sometimes I would try restricting myself to lower in hopes to get more results, and I was doing 12-13 sessions of cardio a WEEK! About 30-60 mins of fasted cardio in the AM and 30-45 of steady state or HIIT on the stair master after weight-lifting.

And guess what?

I DIDN'T LOSE WEIGHT! 

I COULDN'T. 

My body was tired, weak, hit a plateau, and suffering major metabolic damage. Mainly from dieting so long and hard. If  you've been reading my blogs, you'd know that I dumped my first coach and he is the reason I got stuck in such a shitty situation. I signed up with him to do "offseason" before cutting for my show. He "off-seasoned" me aka supposed to be building muscle on probably 1300 calories plus cardio 6x a week. So for my cut, he went lower & increased cardio. 

Metabolic damage is just like starvation mode, which are both very real things. 

star•va•tion mode - noun (stär-ˈvā-shən mōd): a series of metabolic, hormonal and behavioral responses to extreme or prolonged calorie deprivation, which is common during many popular weight loss diets. Since your body can’t recognize the difference between severe dieting and starving, it responds as if you were really starving: Protective mechanisms are activated to decrease your rate of further weight loss, including reduced energy, lower physical activity and increased appetite. Your metabolism also slows down more than you’d predict for the amount of body weight lost.

Check out this simple blog > Metabolic Damage

Please visit and watch Biolayne's metabolic damage video

So anyways, back to reverse dieting. You do not need to have competed or be in a certain shape to do this. This is for those who have been on restrictive calories (macros) for a long period of time and the body has hit a plateau, and not progressing (losing body fat/gaining muscle, etc). Say you have been eating only 800-1200 calories or whatever it is for months, or years. Your body NEEDS food. Food is fuel. Your body is shutting down. There are many calculators to find out your maintenance caloric intake. Most are surprised as to how many calories they could be eating without gaining weight. So to reverse diet, for example, instead of jumping from the 1000kcal you're at to what the maintenance says, like 1800, you slowly reverse diet by adding in calories (carbs/protein/fats) every week and work your way up so your metabolism adapts and you don't put on fat weight. Note that you CAN and most likely will gain a FEW lbs. But your body composition will significantly change for the better, especially with a good training plan. 

IIFYM is my favorite calculator. 
You can google others and compare.
Remember, no one number is completely accurate!

I feel as women, we automatically think "weightloss" and go to those numbers, but you should think "maintenance" if you will be reverse dieting as the goal number to work your way up to. And if you can go further than that while gaining minimal weight/bodyfat then keep going. It is a slow process and takes patience, but it is SO worth it. I have seen the results and not just with the body but the MIND too. To be able to eat all your favorite foods in moderation, not gain 5lbs overnight if you want to go out to dinner, feel guilty for eating, and enjoy yourself is a big thing. Calculating macros every day is time-consuming, it can get obsessive, so find stuff what works for you… I just wanted to explain reverse dieting. I think it's a beautiful thing and no one should be eating under even 1200 calories!

I'm still trying to find what works for me now. 

I am 1 week post show- and it has not been easy. My friend Stephanie, who competed last year, had gone through metabolic damage and post-show blues, had constantly reminded me that it would be hard post-show and to take it easy and reverse diet. It's common for competitors to go on binge sprees after competitions from all the restriction- which is another reason why I'm an advocate and love flexible dieting/IIFYM (see older posts).

My plan > Relax the Sunday after my show, no food limitations and enjoy the gorgeous day, stress free. Then, starting monday, begin my reverse diet.

*For me, I would keep my protein around 1g-1.2g body lb and then add 10-15g carbs & 1-2g fats every week, and slowly up my macros while gaining minimal weight/body fat and possibly even lose weight and lean out more since I wasn't even that lean. While upping macros, I would slowly take out cardio time as well. 

1g protein = 4 calories, 1g carb = 4 calories, 1g fat = 9 calories

This is how people get calories, by adding up their macros. 

Always macros > calories 

Reality > Relaxed the Sunday after the show but also hit up the gym for a short back & cardio session because I had so much energy from all the carbs. I cut out my fasted cardio completely to start. Then… the whole week I was WAY over my reverse diet target macros. I ate simply because I could, whenever I wanted, because I could. I let food control me. I gave into many cravings, and felt I had majorly failed. For my show I depleted water/sodium, so the week after, water retention was a bitch- I felt HUGE. Bloated. Like the feeling being in an airplane with my body all puffy. It sucked. I stepped on the scale 5 days after and was UP 9 LBS! Huge mistake. I know most is water weight, which is slowly coming down, but that sort of thing really messes with your head. 

As you can see, within a week I went from abs to no abs. From solid to fluffy. I do feel more "filled out," happier and healthier, STRONGER, but still unsure and confused. I'm trying to find my happy medium. I beat myself up a bit about my reverse dieting failure. I don't want to get in the mind-set of "I deserve to eat all this shit food because I dieted and was deprived for so long." Because I shouldn't be eating that much crap. It's not the healthy lifestyle I'm going for.

My New Plan > Get back to my reverse dieting plan, but change my macros a bit higher to a more realistic goal that I can hit. Eat bigger meals & less frequently. I've always had it in my head to "eat every 2-3 hours, small meals." But for me, it's unsatisfying, leading me to want to snack through each meal. Whenever I've gone out and had a big meal, I'm satisfied for like 4 hours! So, I will be having bigger meals and I really think that will help out with feeling satisfied. Also, going back to having more meals with volume. I will still be doing it the flexible dieting way, with no food groups off limits.

I will make my come-back… again. It's just been all in my head and I can beat and over-come this. I do not want to get into a binge eating habit. This is it. Enough.

Things I will remind myself of:

1. food will always be there & this is not the only or last chance I can eat this

2. moderation. you can have a little, not the entire pack of cookies

3. you don't want all your handwork out the window

4. take it day by day- it's ok if you slip up

5. you want to be healthy, body, mind and soul

6. eventually your macros will be high again

7. slow and steady wins the race

I know people with a healthy relationship with food thinks this kind of stuff is crazy. It is a bit crazy to have an obsession with food, but it happens to a lot of people. I won't be stepping on the scale for another few weeks. I will continue to lift heavy, hit some PRs, and work on building muscle. Deadlifts, deadlifts and some more deadlifts! Heavy squats, pull-ups and less super-setting with light weight and just work on over-all strength.

I have been contemplating a show in late October, but I don't think it'll give me enough time to improve and build. I mostly want to to redeem myself from my last show. But the right way would be to do a long improvement season (20 weeks) then make a slow cut (20 weeks) into my season to compete next year! April-June are many shows and I want to look my absolute BEST. I think I will also be coaching myself! I'm excited about that. I will definitely be posting more to hold myself accountable. 

Here is to new goals- confidence, consistency, strength and self-love. 

Find me on IG @coral.suarez

xoxo

First Bikini Comp!

These are exactly ONE YEAR apart. 

1 month post partum & 13 months post partum.

-65lbs

-over 15% body fat

-ountless inches

-Betty back fat & Tina, the talking tummy

I DID IT!! I competed after so long of wanting to and training- even if I wasn't in the shape that I wanted- but it was time, especially so I could build a better me. I wanted to write my first experience while it's still fresh in my head. The day felt like it dragged, but looking back, it was over in a flash and now everything is "back to normal." Such a weird feeling, but it feels good! I feel free, less stressed, more motivated and looking forward to the new goals I have.

Competition Day Recap
Tan: I ordered two bottles of Protan and didn't even use half of one bottle. I exfoliated all week and did the first application Thursday night to see how my body took it. If you do this, make sure you put lotion on hands, knees, elbows and feet as the tanner stains those areas very easily and it appears darker. Also, don't pour it in a container and dip the sponge because it takes longer and is messier- just spray and use the sponge brush it comes with!! I let dry that night and went to bed in long sleeve & sweats. I felt pretty dark, but we did another application on Friday night and I did the same process. There may have been a few streaks or darker spots, but we easily touched it up and it really was not bad at all for our first time! Plus, saved money and I didn't have to worry about peeing on competition day because it was dry and wasn't getting ruined by anything that touched or splashed me. 

Mani/Pedi/Body hair: Got my mani, pedi, and eyebrows waxed on Wednesday evening. I bought Hair Away and used that Thursday, along with a razor for other areas, after my gym session. I wanted to do it all this day because I knew we would be applying Protan later. No body hair on show-day. I brought a razor with me just in case I had any missed spots or fast growers hahaha. 

Jewelry/suit/heels: I had two suits and really wanted to wear the second one I got as a back-up, but it was too tight, making me look even fluffier, so I went with my first (which I still loved). Brought both suits with me just in case though. All my jewelry & heels were bought from Amazon weeks before and luckily no problems there.

Food/luggage: I packed my instructed meals in my Isobag with a few extras in case the day ran late- which it did. My Isobag included chicken, brown rice, greens (which I didn't eat), rice cakes, peanut butter and a Snickers for before I walked out on stage. In my duffle bag I packed: Protan, Jan Tana body glaze, bikini bite, gloves, hair straightener, brush, tooth brush & tooth paste, gum, cookies for after, extra clothes, razor, lotion, make-up for touching up, vaseline, deodorant, hair spray, phone charger (it's a must), aaaaand I think that's it? I made a list throughout the week and made sure every single thing was packed before heading out the door. 

Check-ins: "8AM Sharp" was emailed to us, but competitors came even up to 2 hours late and checked in and got their NPC card, so I'm not sure I will be there on the dot for future shows. We live 45 mins away so I woke up at 5am- did all the morning necessities, breakfast, etc and had to make sure all my sons' stuff was packed as well. We dropped him off around 630 and we arrived at the venue by 730. From there the actual show didn't even start till about 1pm when prejudging was supposed to start at 1130! I feel it was very unorganized, especially since they did 2 shows back to back on the same day... it took so much longer. Thank goodness I had only registered to the first show! Phew. The second show people, or those doing both, had a really long ass day.

Backstage: After getting our numbers we went back stage to start getting ready for the show. Everyone was scattered down the halls, the bodybuilders doing touch-ups, practicing poses, pumping up and girls scattered in bikinis, touching up, taking photos and in the bathroom doing the same. I'm not sure who, but one lady brought an extension outlet with a bunch of outlets to put it in the bathroom which was so nice and convenient! Everyone got to charge their phones or hook up their hair curlers/straighteners without fighting and rushing each other for the 2-3 that were in the bathroom. Everyone had a bunch of luggage and one thing I saw that I will bring next time is a fold-up chair! Some girls looked intimidating, and ended up being so sweet and some didn't even say hi. Some were on drugs  but most were thirsty, hungry and just depleted. Alex stayed with me to help get ready, but then he went and found a seat to watch the prejudging and I was left alone. Which is not my ideal situation, if you know how shy I am. So I just chatted up other girls randomly in the hall or bathroom or went on my phone etc. 

Prejudging: So after moooore waiting, it was finally bikini's turn. We were last and I got instantly nervous as soon as they said "bikini A." Before our turn, I had spent the last hours practicing posing in the mirror, fixing my hair, re-applying glaze and chatting with the other girls. I was first in line for Bikini Class A and they gave me instructions before hitting the stage. As much as I practiced, I was so not prepared for the nerves that hit me as soon as I walked on stage! They called my number and I walked with what I think was a smile on my face?? Not sure what my hands were doing... The lights were so bright and I have bad eyes to begin with, so could kind of make out where the judges were. I tried to smile, but it kept twitching, I felt I was barely able to keep my eyes open too. I tried to bring the sassiness and smiling self that I had been practicing so much, but it was hard and I definitely stiffed up. I saw a video that Alex took of me and my posing went way too fast. Next time I will practice more without a mirror in front of me. We did comparisons and that was about it! I felt like I was up there for just a few seconds and it was over. Looking back, I feel disappointed that I didn't give it my all. All that hard work and waiting around for me to choke up there sucks.

Night show: Before the night show, Alex and I went back home to our town to get a burger then chilled at home to hang out, and I really wanted to get a nap in, but that didn't happen. I was soooo exhausted at this time but had stuff to do, my son was awake, and time just ticked away... I didn't get any rest. The night show was supposed to start at 7, but I knew it would be a while again before we were up, so I took my time driving back. I think I got back around 730pm and the show had just started. The night show was way more exciting with louder music, more people, guest posers and trophies. I watched some of the performances and I felt more comfortable and motivated again. Too bad judging had already happened and I was kind of bloated from eating earlier. It was around 9pm or so that we finally were up. I did much better with my performance, but again, the judging is done in the AM. Instead of leaving the stage, we got called up from 5th place to 1st and took photos together. I felt like a cow at that moment next to the other girls lol. I was like shit, I shouldn't of ate. But at the same time my muscles were so much fuller and tighter. The girl that took first place, Ashley, really cool chick, looked so amazing. She wasn't from the area so I know it wasn't political and she took the 1st place and overall and was definitely well-deserved! Her walk and posing was just so confident. Some girls had amazing bodies, but ruined it with their performance- aka boring and awkward. I think I was somewhere in the middle. But I learned so much and glad I had this first experience because I know the next time will just be better and better.

I could list everything I would do differently, but whats the point. It happened and I have learned SO much, about coaches, nutrition/macros, and training. Right now, my concentration is on building more muscle, doing less cardio, building my metabolic capacity with reverse dieting, and ENJOYING myself again. I lost the baby weight, and that's all I felt I looked like. Just flat and fluffy in a bikini. Next show, I will have more muscle, definition and be so much leaner. I'm excited for the changes I will make. I've made such a difference in 1 year! Let's see what another year can do :)

Day before posing practice- If only I could have posed the way I had been practicing, I would have felt better about my performance rather than stiffing up :( 

Competition day! Getting ready!

Makeup by Linda!! Thank you sosososo much! She came and met me at the venue in the AM before heading to school. My life-saver!! I couldn't of even come close to doing as good of a job as she did.

Backstage fun! Posing, pumping, booties and tanned bodies.

I got to meet a lot of really awesome ladies!

Snickers before hitting the stage. Mmmmm.

Helping me with glazing up <3

I know I wasn't as lean as I should have been, 

but I have never felt so tiny! 

At home before the night show :p happy bellies!

Before the night show and post-burger and cookies :D

oops hahaha thickkkkkk!

Comparison photos from prejudging. The lighting made it hard for him to get good photos but I'm okay with not seeing detail lol!! My curves look better like this :P I will admit, as proud as I was for coming so far with my transformation, I wasn't completely confident and a little embarrassed for not being as lean or cut and I tried hiding it, but I know it showed. 5th place and a trophy to take home. I knew it would be 5th & I'm not mad! The shorties in my class were bangin' and gave me more motivation to build for my next show. This hasn't discouraged me in the least bit. I knew going in that I would probably be the thickest/fluffiest one of the bunch. It was about completing my goal I had set, getting over some fears, and now, these will be my new before photos. 

It's me vs. me.

It's my journey.

Can't stop, won't stop.

Time to build!!

Come follow me on IG @coral.suarez

xoxo

Peak Week!

Hey all! Sorry for the lack up updates. I have been busy and just trying to relax, concentrate and not think too much and stress myself out! I'm really good at stressing the small stuff, beating myself up or comparing myself to other girls and have just really needed to take a step back and re-focus. I keep reminding myself it's MY journey, MY progress, MY body. I don't care of others' opinions on MY lifestyle. 

As you can tell, I didn't do the Boston show that was on the 24th of May… I was not mentally, physically, nor financially ready for that one, so I chose a show closer to home (~1 hour away) and 3 weeks later… which is now a few days away!! June 14th. It is 2 shows combined into one; The CT State Championships and the CT Grand Prix! I have entered in the CT Grand Prix bikini open A and will possibly enter in the bikini novice devision as well. When I was signing up I was freaking out like omggggg this is really happening! I kind of got cold feet into entering then so I will probably do it at check-ins.

The week leading up to the show, bodybuilders go through "peak week"- it is different for divisions and I'm sure as with anything, all coaches have their own way of doing it. It's definitely more for the 'bodybuilder' and 'figure' (more muscular/leaner) categories, but as bikini I will still be doing a moderate peak week. Basically, it's the last week to get your muscles to "peak" by show! It has a lot to do with the manipulation of carbs/water/sodium etc. I'll have to write more about it after I do it. But from many articles I've researched, it's not that complicated and most people over-do these steps and can ruin their final package like coming in too stringy or dry? Again, those are mainly for figure, mens' physique and bodybuilding. Bikini kind of has it a little easier. 

Well here I am, this was taken Saturday morning (1 week out) - no food or water, and I actually looked better than I thought I did in my head. Surprise. Sometimes it gets to be a giant mind-fuck when you're constantly looking at yourself in the mirror, different lightings, foods you eat that bloat you, etc. I am weighing in at 128lbs and I am 5'2". Yes, I could use to lose more body fat pounds, but it is what it is. My body has been fighting me so much these past few weeks and my metabolism is tired and damaged. I'm so excited to work on it and building my physique after this show! 

This week I haven't made any drastic changes to my diet- the only thing is I'm on lower carbs until later this week where I will start adding them back to fill my muscles for the show. I am sticking with foods that I know won't cause bloating such as chicken/tilapia, oatmeal, green beans, egg whites/ eggs, spinach. Fiber causes bloating too so I am watching my intake with that as well because I know my body is very sensitive. The last week or two is boring with food, but I would rather keep it safe than sorry. Coach told me to up my water by 50% as well for the next few days, so that is probably the hardest part for me haha I hate drinking sooooooo much water! and having to pee all the freakin time! 

As far as training, no significant changes in that either. Although this week I will be working at 80% of what I usually do because I don't want to tear down my muscles or be sore on show day. More reps ~20 and less weight. I have been doing fasted cardio for the past 2-3 weeks in the AM and will continue to do so for the next few days as I feel it really helps ME. 

I have two bikinis from Ravish Sands- one I got for free from winning a raffle and one I wanted as a back-up! Not sure which one to wear yet- but it'll depend on the fit the day of the show. The second one I bought is a color I never imagined buying… ever! Out of my box and I am so in love with it, but it's on the tight side so I'll have to see if I'll be able to wear it this show. 

I have been practicing my walk/routine/posing at home in the mirror as well as a few times at the gym! I feel slightly confident in it, but everyday I watch some sort of youtube competition videos and I make slight changes or learn a little something new. I really haven't spent much time in the heels and every blog I read with tips say to spend hours in them and get used to them lol but oh well- I'm more of a winging it type of girl. 

Checklist-

x) Bikini bite

x) bikinis 

x) heels

x) jewelry

x) Pro Tan / glaze

x) registration

x) hair/makeup

x) black hoodie & sweats 

x) flipflops

x) base tan

Need list-

-npc card

-pack food

-mani/pedi

-tan

-

I can't really think of anything else right now. I'm so nervous! The days are flying by and Saturday will be here before I know it. I have to make every single day count. I have to do something that will make me closer to my goals than further. Staying focused!! 

follow me on IG for more updates @coral.suarez

xoxo