feeeeeeeed meee....

So I got the idea for this post from my friend Tricia (check out her blog, Road to Qualifying for Nationals)...and from my daily email list of friends who were commenting about food and the economy. One of my friends had just eaten at The Bazaar Hotel, which is probably one of the more expensive places to eat down here in LA. Anyway, this whole dieting for the show has been pretty damn expensive, especially since I refuse to use supplements for my nutritional needs (i.e. I eat real food for all my macronutrient needs, unless otherwise directed). Here is my typical day of eating (those numbers are the amounts of carbs, protein, fat, calories):

Food Item Carbs Protein Fat Calories
3 Eggs 3 18 13.5 210
1.5 Cup Egg Whites 3 39 0 175.5

1 Cup Egg Whites 2 26 0 117
1 Egg 1 6 4.5 70
3 Oz Chicken Breast 0 27 3 138

6 Oz. Chicken Breast 0 54 6 276
1 Tbsp Peanut Butter 3 3.5 8.5 105

6 Oz. Chicken Breast 0 54 6 276
1 Tbsp Peanut Butter 3 3.5 8.5 105

5.5 Oz Top Round 0 49.5 11 291.5
1 Tbsp Mac Nut Oil 0 0 13.5 120

2 96% Patties 0 50 9 300


14.5 330 83.5 2177

Also add 1 scoop of All the Whey Isolate Protein, 2 tbsp of PB, and 1 Scoop of Optimum Nutrition Protein, which my coach added to this meal plan.

For the sake of simplicity, since all my foods are measured post cooking, I'll add 2 oz to the weight for the raw weight, which is what I would normally pay at the store. Here is the breakdown:
Food Item Cost Servings Cost/Serv Amt/Day Cost/Day
Omega Eggs $2.79 12 $0.23 4 $0.93
Eggs $5.59 60 $0.09 20 $1.86
Chicken $1.99 1 $1.99 1.3 $2.59
96% Patties $9.49 2.5 $3.80 0.25 $0.95
Peanut Butter $4.00 23 $0.17 2 $0.35
Mac Nut Oil $8.99 31 $0.29 1 $0.29
Top Round $3.00 1 $3.00 0.34 $1.02
Optimum Nutrition Protein $42.99 77 $0.56 1 $0.56
All the Whey Isolate $39.99 80 $0.50 1 $0.50

Total
$9.05

$9.05 a day does not sound too bad, considering most people spend this much on lunch alone in one day. Add a few dollars for veggies, so we could say that it costs about $12 a day to feed me, not too bad I guess.

Song of the Week...

The Dream Feat Kanye West - Walking on the Moon

Walkin’ On The Moon - The Dream Ft. KanYe West

2 weeks out...

I am 2 weeks out from this show, and all I can think about is FOOD. My entire day literally revolves around food. I am either cooking, eating, watching the food network or staring at some random internet sites that involve some good looking FOOD. My calories are not deathly low, but the lack of freedom in my diet and the monotony of chicken breast and egg whites can only last for so long. I found Chowhound, which is a fat person's heaven on the internet. I love it so much that I even signed up and registered for the freaking site. I have also been reading various blogs regarding food, specifically a "normal" person's review of a restaurant. I personally cannot stand the fancy, schmancy reviews that the LA times or Zagat gives to food places. They're idea of a good place is expensive, extremely high quality, and usually has some type of story behind it. Whether it is a city landmark or the restaurant is backed by a high-end chef. Me? I could care less about those things. What I care about is getting my money's worth and feeling satisfied that I enjoyed my freshly cooked meal. Who cares if that cow was massaged and fed only grass for the last year of its life in order to marble the fat within the beef. All I care about is that I paid $40 for a good steak and I better get $40 worth of steak. Not some little 8 oz steak that tastes almost identical to something I could pay half the price for elsewhere. Which brings me to my favorite show on the food network, "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives." While I could care less for Guy Fieri and his unique sense of humor, I enjoy the types of food served at the places he visits. Decent portions, fair price, good taste. The ONLY 3 things that matter to me.

Enough rambling, here are a few random things I have thought about during these last few weeks.

-BBQ!!! My absolute favorite types of restaurant to eat at. I'm a baby back rib guy, but according to most rib "experts," the real test comes from the St. Louis (or regular size) ribs. Apparently, baby back ribs are the product of corporate restaruants. Anyway, nothing irks me more than BOILED ribs (i.e. Tony Roma's). I can definitely tell when they are boiled because they fall off the bone too easily, and not in the way that slow cooked ribs are supposed to fall. I do not mind regular grilled ribs because I am a fan of regular, old charcoal, and smoked are always the best. But I'd rather eat a fake rib, ala McRib at McDonalds, before I eat a boiled rib.

-Apple Pie. I want a huge slice of dutch apple pie with a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream, post contest. Plain and simple. Might as well throw a few oatmeal rasin cookies around this, while I'm at it. ;)

-Trader Joe's is the absolute best when it comes to all natural foods. NO ONE can beat their prices. $2.79 for a dozen omega 3 eggs, $1.79 for 16 oz of all natural peanut butter, roughly $2 for any bag of frozen veggies. Maybe you can catch some of these deals cheaper at your local grocer when they are on sale, but Trader Joe's keeps these same prices every day of the year. You cannot go wrong buying anything in there.

That's about it. Sorry for the lack of substance, but my mind is completely in shut down mode right now. I have not had a cheat since mid February, and have not had real carbs since the last weekend in February. I feel like a robot just going through the motions. All I am looking forward to is the carb-up prior to this first show. Yams, oatmeal, rice, and popcorn. Cannot wait. First things I am cheating with after this show are ribs, apple pie, and a peanut butter and honey sandwich. Mmm Mmm Goooood.

3 Weeks Out...update...

As of yesterday, I am 3 weeks out of the GNC Max Muscle Naturals Bodybuilding Show. It is my first one, and the goal, according to my trainer, is "to get on stage with my suit on right." haha

The calories are low, but not deathly low yet. I do not feel too bad on most days. The worst is when I have to get up at 430am for cardio, then head over to work. Work my usual 615 to 5pm shift, then head over to the gym for some weight training. Being up 18-19 hours a day and only having a limited amount of food in me is pretty damn miserable. However, getting up at a normal time, say 8am, makes the day fly by and I do not feel so bad.

Currently, I am 5.1% body fat. I'd post pictures, but I'm one of those believers in hiding things and covering up until its time to present the final product. Never been one to show things off half way. Just not my style I guess. Cardio is up to 7 days a week, with 2 hard sessions at 45-60 min, and 5 light ones for 30 min. The current daily totals are about 2600 calories, over 300g of protein, and over 100g of fat. No direct sources of carbohydrates, except for green or fibrous vegetables. The other carbs are trace amounts from peanut butter and eggs pretty much. I originally had cut out all my protein powders, but was informed by my trainer to add at least one in.

Speaking of my trainer. His name is Emile Jarreau, and he runs M2Fitness along with Bea Fox (http://m2fitnesspros.com or http://mrfatloss.com). I already knew a lot coming into this contest preparation (sh*t, most of you who actually read this know me and have asked me for advice at some time or another), so I really wanted someone who could humble me and teach me things I did not know about health and fitness in general. Bodybuilding is great, but it is not life, it is definitely not MY LIFE either. Not everyone wants to step on stage and compete, so it is very important to be extremely well rounded and have enormous amounts of knowledge behind all of this. I feel like I have made a pretty good decision and the knowledge I have accumulated during these past few weeks is gonna carry forward to the rest of my fitness career.

Anyway, things are going good and I can't be happier with my decision to prepare for a contest. It has definitely pushed and challenged me to mental and physical limits I have not reached before. The only downside, I really miss my friends and family. Sometimes, contest prep feels like I am incarcerated in my own world with a guard around me blocking me from social life. Like missing dinner with my really close friends last night. That one hurt. (Sorry Diana and Tim) Seeing my parents this weekend and not being able to hang out with them much. Sh*t hurts. Couple more weeks to lock it down. I gots this.

Song of the Week..

Mos Def - Life is Good

Life Is Good - DJ Deckstream feat. Mos Def