Day 1 Complete 13 Days Left

Day one of this diet is finally over and done with! Was it as bad as I thought it would be? Not so much really, but this is only day one into the thing, I’m sure in two weeks I will have another opinion.

I woke up at 7:30 in the morning for my first round of food man, that’s about the time I had to take my fish oils (and I have the liquid kind). I really didn’t think it would be that bad so stupid me I mix it with my chocolate protein shake thinking to myself “how bad can it be?” I don’t think I tasted chocolate anywhere in there, I couldn’t believe how gross the fish oils tasted, I kept thinking to myself “what’s worse, Buckley’s or fish oil?”

Wow, that was such a rude awakening again this is all pretty new to me so its trial and error on my part with things, I never use to take supplements and what not so sometimes I’m walking into it not knowing what to expect which brings me to my next topic the horse gel cap of a multivitamin.

I couldn’t believe how massive these things were, I’m not use to taking something in a pill form that big. When i went to put on in my hand to take I noticed a greasy orange film that was staining my fingers. I right away called up Pete and Elaine before I did anything else and they said one of the gel capsules must have ruptured inside the container. MAN, how annoying but it was good to know I wasn’t going to get poisoned or anything (hey man you never know!!!!)

So I have to fit in 11 meals in a day, and I was thinking to myself “how the hell is this going to happen?” I’m 4‘10.5 and I weight 113.5lbs and I am not use to eating that many meals a day. I think by the fifth meal I was feeling it, I’ll say this though I was never hungry.

I went to the gym and started on my work out, I did some cardio to start things off (and because I was waiting for the squat rack). Went over to the weights and one of the racks was free so I wondered on over there.

I really feel weird sometimes when I’m over there, I feel like I’m in male territory and some guys are looking at me (when I’m taking up a squat rack) and are like “she shouldn’t even be here.” Its just the vibe I get when I’m in there (so weird)!

Regardless of my feelings I still get in there throw on my ipod and just do my thing and not thinking about anything else but getting the weight up! So I was warming up my squat like I normally do, a bit nervous because I was a there a bit earlier then normal so Tony (one of the guys that sometimes spots me) wasn’t there yet, and I hadn’t seen Mark floating around the gym.

My squat was at 145lbs this week for three working sets of five, but I was getting up just fine which is awesome this is my fourth week I believe in the gym so to get up there in that amount of time I think is great. Considering it took me months to be able to even get up there last year when I started lifting. I remember struggling at 145 last year I mean shaking on the way up the whole nine yards. So for me, its an amazing feeling and to know that I’m doing this alone is an even greater accomplishment.

I had my first experience of someone random coming up to me at the gym and talking to me. I heard a lot of stories of people meeting other people at the gym, but no one (but Mark, Tony and other people I know) talk to me unless its to ask if I’m using a machine or something.

Today, a trainer came up to me and struck up a conversation about the weight I was squatting. He seemed to be amazed I was lifting that much, and told me that i can probably squat more then some of the guys that are in there right now. I laughed it off (feeling sort of flattered) but I have looked around me somedays and some of those guys are massive in there. If they are only squatting 145 there is a problem.

I bumped up my weight for my over head press to 75lbs, and it was going up too no problem. It is a good feeling too because again last year around this time I was struggling my ass off to get the weight up (and that was 65lbs)!!

My deads use to be my weakest point and I am happy to announce that last year I was struggling at one point with 65lbs (because of an injury to my back), but I built that up last summer to 145lbs and was struggling with that. I remember dreading doing dead lifts in ANYTHING not just on my lifting days. And I have officially (in a month) got my dead lifts to 155lbs! That was a great great feeling you have no idea.

I’m waiting for Pete to come up with my other training stuff for the gym, to get my body prepped. I sent him my “before pictures” which were so uncomfy to do. To know that someone is going to really look at a lot of the details and pick you apart. Not a good feeling (for me anyways).

By the end of the night I did feel a bit weird and had a smidge of a headache, I think it was because my body is starting to go through withdrawals of stuff I normally would be munching on (mostly ice cream because I loveeeeee ice cream)! So one day is down, and I have 13 more days to go!

Christina

Project “Get Ripped” Starts Monday Feb 1 2010

In life sometimes things don’t always go your way and something happens that sometimes turns you off of something, or makes not you not as hungry for it until something (or someone) comes a long and lights a flame under your butt and actually sparks you to want to do something again.

I’ve been down that road with jiu jitsu and wrestling many times, I trained so hard and then sometimes I would leave it sometimes for a week, other times for a month just depended on when I felt like jumping back on the mat.

I love jiu jitsu and I always will, and I love training and everything that comes with it. I mean it is a very challenging sport, almost like a game of chess and its just amazing how you can manipulate your body and use it against someone else, or even use someone else’s body against them.

But last year in the summer I was training at a crossfit gym in Hamilton and fell in love with lifting. My coach Bryan Edge always drills into my head “tecs before pecks” and its normally an ongoing joke we have. BUT beyond the mat, I really loved how I felt being 4‘10.5 and lifting weight that sometimes girls bigger then me were struggling with. I was surrounded by some amazing women at that gym that just made me hungry to life more then them. I wasn’t trying to prove that I was better by any means, I just wanted to challenge myself so I used them as my prize. I always wanted to be THOSE WOMEN, never did I think anyone would want to be me.

I realized that I motivated more people around me then I could imagine, and a lot admired my work ethic, my hard work and my dedication. All things I knew I had, but didn’t notice or care to notice if anyone else noticed yeah know?

But lifting, and training all together lost its luster for me. I found myself filling my days with work and no play even if somedays I thought “yeah I’m going to go and train” I would be to tired to even bother.  That went on for about almost four months, I didn’t have any desire to train at all. I canceled my membership at my current crossfit gym (because I was throwing money away), and I had not been back to Cutting Edge Martial Arts and Fitness nor did I have the desire to go back right away.

It wasn’t until I was talking with Pete and Elaine from Physical Development in Burlington (P.D.N Shoppe) that I started to get hungry to train again. What started as a bad joke slowly started to become a reality.

I was joking around with the fact I should do figure, and how funny it would be to stand up there in my “wood stein” of choice, with this glittery suit on, IN HEALS, strutting my stuff. Anyone, who knows me on a personal level knows that I am the complete opposite of that a figure model represents. I’ve been friends with a few for awhile and they are constantly watching what they eat, where I on the other hand love digging into a tub of ice cream. I can’t for the life of me walk in heals, some people have even got the pleasure of watching me trip wearing them. I’m not sure I’d be a fan of colouring my body to the point where I look orange, and I really can’t stand people looking and judging me I’ll have to admit kudos to those girls I couldn’t do it (or so I thought).

Before I knew it, I was talking with Pete about diet and what not and not to long after that I had my diet in place, went and bought my supplements and proteins for the next little bit and had a start date planed for myself when this was all going to happen. I was on the road of challenging myself with something that will be more of a mental thing for me then anything else. I love to train, I can handle a diet, but everything else that is going to go with this I’m not to sure about at this point.

So I start my quest as of February 1st (tomorrow Monday), and for the next 2 weeks try and shed some of this “fluff” to see exactly what shapes we are dealing with to mould over the next few months. It will be a detox for my body which I’m sure I’m going to feel withdrawals but I told enough people that are around me everyday so they will keep on me over the next few weeks if they feel I’m slipping (which I don’t think I will).

This diet that they gave me is pretty fantastic, I mean it isn’t a “get ripped in 3 days or a week” kinda diet but I will never be hungry, and after this thing is all said and done I won’t feel like I starved myself (like most quick diets do) and I will be able to still look great and not have to gorge on everything around me. Were I find by talking with most people there is always that “i ate so much after” factor that happens with the quick fix diets. I feel yeah some of them MAY work and MAY make you feel great and look great for that little bit of time but after people normally put back on the weight because they aren’t use to bringing the diet into an everyday life.

Pete & Elaine from PDN Shoppe made my diet custom to my everyday life, they have me eating 11 (yes 11) meals a day, and I’m eating every hour and a half. I shouldn’t go hungry at all during the day, its all healthy stuff that my body probably isn’t custom too just yet but thats what the detox is for. They did warn me about the mood swings (closer to comp), the cravings I will have etc… ALL normal and nothing I haven’t heard before.

This will be my first time having to cut weight for anything, or cut down for that matter!!! So I’m quite excited, this will be a huge challenge for me and seeing how I want to do a variety of things I figured I would give this a go.

I’m going to document everything for PDN Shoppe create a testimonial book for them (or DVD) not sure yet maybe both. I have taken before pictures but until I”m comfortable with them I don’t think I will be posting them. Sorry everyone, but I will try and post as many pictures and video as I can to keep this interesting.

Thanks for following and please feel free to post your feedback at anytime!

Christina

I want to send out a special thanks to Pete and Elaine from Physical Development & Nutrition Shoppe for the time and efforts into a fantastic custom diet for myself, and for putting in some time developing a game plan and work outs also to get everything into place. I also was able to purchase all the supplements and protein from them, they gave me no bullshit and gave me what I needed not something  that will do nothing for my body.

Ultimate Takedown

Another thank you to Brian from Ultimate Takedown for sending me some swag to use for my before/during/after pictures. I appreciate your support!

My crazy busy week!!!

Sorry about my lack of updates from Wednesday’s day at the gym… I’ve been busy at work and knew I had to get crazy sleep time in for my shift on Thursday (I knew it was going to be a long one). Before I get to why it was a long one let me start off my talking about Wednesday at the gym.

Wednesday I did my normal lifting routine and stayed at the same weights as I did for monday.

Squat 125lbs

Dead Lifts 125lbs

Press 65lbs

I can feel my body being hungry to up the weight, I am trying not to rush it because I want to make sure that everything is working right. Meaning, my ACL is healed up right nice, my back is strong, and my technique is perfect. I want to be ass to ankles every rep and make it count. reviewing my other lifting videos I wasn’t getting low enough a lot of the time. So with me doing this on my own this time around I want to make sure to do it as right as possible.

After lifting I did some cardio with a buddy of mine (Tony) who is always at the gym the same time as me. So we both did like 20 minutes on the elliptical. Not my favorite thing, I’d sooner bust out a crossfit work out but its what I did today. I ended up burning (according to the machine) 250 calories. I did sweat like a mother (which is the point i suppose).

SO Thursday’s shift was pretty crazy, every Kelsey’s Restaurant was giving out a FREE pound of wings to every guest that walked into the restaurant from 4pm- 12am. I started at 12pm was done at 2, sat and ate relaxed for a bit and was back on the floor at 3 30pm. I worked and ran my butt off from 3 30pm – 11:11pm that night… YES A LONG DAY!!! It was a fantastic event, and it seemed like everyone enjoyed it (well everyone that obviously got free wings)! Man, by the end of the night I was so tired I had a migraine… So needless to say I knew Friday’s work out was going to be something I’d have to push through.

SO TODAY! I work another double… and after my first shift I headed over to the gym to get my lifts out of the way. Chatted up Mark during my 2-3 minutes rest between sets. It was nice of him to make sure I was getting low, my knees weren’t bending in, and that I was doing it properly. Mark is an awesome guy and a great trainer, I’ve known the guy FOREVER!!!!! SO its always nice to catch up with him and hear how the wife and kid are doing and what not.

I was looking around the gym, and was watching some women (who seemed to be in the body building stuff) do their work outs, watching how they do certain things and what not. In some way some of the stuff is great in others.. they LOOKED great but not strong… If I ever did something like that (which could possibly happen), I’d want to look great and BE STRONG!!!! *laughing*…

If that’s possible that would be fantastic!!!!!

Anywho…. I did my press I think I’m ready to up it on monday to 70lbs ( I was at 90lbs when I stopped lifting). My squat is going to be upped too come monday to 130lbs. Mark was asking me why I am only doing 125 when it clearly looks like I can do more.. and for more reps. So I explained to him when I stopped lifting I had some injuries, plus being off for almost 4 months can sometimes “f” with your body more then you realize. So I wanted to take it slow, and that’s what I’ve been doing. SURE I can probably do more but I would rather be confident I can get my ass to my ankles in a perfect squat with good technique. But when I stopped lifting my squat was 190lbs. BUT however there was this girl beside me doing (what I think were dead lifts). Its weird some people stand on this little step thing and so them? I just put the bars on the side of the squat cage and do it that way? I guess to each their own, anyways I saw her doing 65lbs… It made me remember when I sprained my back and couldn’t even do that. So i had it stuck in my head that I could do more for my dead lifts. Instead of waiting till Monday I upped the weight today.

135lbs… was what I was doing, doesn’t sound like a lot but when you go from wanting to cry to just dead the bar (which is normally 45lbs) to being in triple digits it makes a girl smile at heart knowing she accomplished that. WELL it has for me. When I stopped lifting my dead lifts were at 145lbs so.. only being a bit off and being back at the gym for maybe 2 and a bit weeks and already seeing results (well I thought I was)!

Man, you know… I thought when i shed all that dead weight months ago that I’d be done with the “your fat” comments, or feeling like I can’t win.. but of course, things never go my way. AS I was saying to Piero, I was called fat probably 4x’s this week which made no sense to me. I’m not far off to the weight I was a a year and a bit ago, and I am back in the gym. I mean when I was out of the gym no one said ANYTHING? AND now I am working out again and I am fat? How does that make sense??????

Regardless, I have to get it out of my head what people think… I know my body and how I feel. It was just something that caught me off guard.

I’m working with Physical Development & Nutrition Shoppe’s owners Pete and Elaine to come up with a game plan for something that I may take part in soon. Details to come when things are final!!!! But I appreciate their support and help with everything…!!!

OOHHH and just a random little blurb.. tonight after work I baked this “layered birthday cookie” which was a recipe from my cookie calendar that I got for 2010. SINCE my father is throwing my mother a 50th’s b-day get together I thought I would give it a go to have out on the table for everyone to try. I obviously added my own little touch to it like adding mini chocolate chips and what not. But I am looking forward to experimenting with this recipe with different cookies. BUT here’s how my first one turned out!! I am quite proud of it!!!

So that’s been my week I work the next few days and I believe monday is my own day off *yawns* its 2:02am right now.. I’m thinking its time for bed. I’m hiking with Teresa tomorrow so I’m quite excited about that.

Christina

Got to love Monday’s

What a weekend I had, besides working I went out to Toronto in support of the band “Breathe” who was playing at “Hollywood on the Queensway.” They did amazing, it was my first time watching them play Teresa knows a lot of the band members personally and her and her friends usually go to their shows when they can so I was happy that I could be there this weekend. I’m not much into hard rock music or whatever but it was awesome to be there live and listen to the music. I was pretty hungry when we got there and so Stef and I ordered 20 (honey garlic) wings

Shane = Real Life Pacey Witter

and a thing of nachos (which was huge).  BUT man it was soooo good!!!! Now if only I drank beer I’m sure it would have been quite a site to witness.

Joshua Jackson "AKA Pacey Witter"

It was a pretty good time I’ll admit, and our server reminded me of Joshua Jackson when he played “Pacey Witter” in Dawson’s Creek! A real life Witter! HAHA!

So.. wasn’t sure how I was going to feel in the gym today, because along with those yummy awesome wings and those tasty nachos, I also had a peanut butter ice cream craving and caught myself indulging in a Ben & Jerry’s little tub of ice cream.  It was such a delight but after I ate half the little tub I was feeling sort of sick ( yeah I know what your thinking).

So, going into the gym today the first thing I do is check the weight area to see how busy it is. And I mean it wasn’t backed but it was a bit busier then last week around that time. I noticed there were people using the racks so I had to wait it out. I went and did some stretches, and bosu ball stuff, and what not and then headed over to the treadmill and started to walk at a comfy pace to warm up WHILE catching up on the news. OH how I love CHCH News!!!! But the weirdest thing happened when I was listening to the news and doing my little warm up walk, I got zapped in the ear. YEAH like as if i put my finger in an outlet kind of ZAPPED… weird.. so I took it out of the thing to listen to the news and continues listening to my ipod.

Checked out the weight area again and the rack was free, so i ventured over there and wrote out my new weight for the three lifting days this week. Was so excited to be moving on up, felt like a kid in a candy store.

Squat last week was 115lbs ( 3 working sets of 5) and moved that up to 125lbs!!!

I know it doesn’t seem like much, but its a big deal for me to be up there like that and moving on up. I never thought I could do this by myself and here I am doing it. No spotter when I was terrified at this point last year NOT to have a spotter. I guess when I hit the bigger numbers then yeah I’ll need someone but for right now I’m good alone!!!

I kept my Press the same because I’m no pressing it entirely with my arms, I find myself kind of doing a smidge of a push press so until I can get it all arms I’m going to wait to move it up, I want the technique of the lift to be down and make sure I can do the weight that I have before moving it up.

I moved my dead lift up to 125lbs from 115lbs, and honestly I felt soooo confident, I felt really strong surprisingly this is the easier one to do. Before it was my squat, and my dead lifts were my weakness now they do not seem like much of a weakness which is awesome.

I didn’t do much cardio today I didn’t have enough time to really do anything had to get the car back and what not.

SO I’m pretty excited that Stef found me Utter balm for my hands, since using the stuff my hands and skin hasn’t been as chapped from this Canadian cold weather, and therefore my hands are not being ripped to shreds on the bars in the gym.

Christina

RE: Machan & MFC Split Ways… MY THOUGHTS!

This week I read an article posted on Top MMA News, which seems to be where everyone goes to get their updates on the MMA World. Here and there, articles they write catch my eye and of course like everyone else I tend to venture over to the link and read their posts.

This particular post entitled “Machan and MFC Part Ways” really kind of pushed my buttons with a few comments that were made.

First off, I’m sure I’m going to offend someone by saying what I think. AND I’m almost certain that is going to effect writing opportunities of mine in the future. However, being in this field I have made some interesting contacts, and have had the opportunity to talk to many different people. Sometimes in conversations names come up, organizations, other fighters and it is amazing some of the things you hear.

I never knew who Ryan Machan was, I had only got to know him last February. Before that fight I was interested to see who this kid was so like any reporter I started to do my homework reading up on other articles, watching video etc… He seemed to know what he was doing in the cage/ring with a record to prove it. I really thought that the MFC made a good fight between Machan and Marini. However Marini came up short losing his bout to a rear naked choke to Machan.

After that fight I tried to follow more of Machan’s fights, so when he was fighting or articles were posted I tried to catch up on them. Like I do any fighter I feel is kind of interesting.

So when this one was posted, I was shocked to hear the parting of ways especially since he seemed to be doing fairly well in the organization.

Lately (even in the UFC) We have been hearing of fighters leaving due to not being able to come to contract agreements. As a fan, someone who’s never been in that position where they have to negotiate a fight contact, probably really don’t know the behind the scenes of the situation. Which makes me think of some of the comments that can be posted about how some fighters do not deserve the money they are asking for.

First thing, many of these guys fight because its what they know, or what they are good at, or do it for fun. SOME do it to put food on the table for their family, and a roof over their heads. So if they are peeking and doing really well why shouldn’t they be able to ask for more money. When you have a job and your doing a lot for your company normally you get promoted with something? WHY should fighting be any different?

It’s easy to get on a promoters bad side, really. You don’t find many who care about their fighters they care about the money they are making So they are going to sign big names, and promote the names that are making them the big dollars (obviously)! So sometimes even if you are one of the little guys they like to see fight and promote you, you can slip up and lose and your on the bench with the rest of the “B” team.

What I mean by that is, sources have told me that sometimes they sign only 1 or 2 fight contracts with certain organizations for the simple fact that they can be waiting months between fights. Some have waited 6 months or more, because the organization is too busy signing bigger names its almost like they forget about the little people. While this person is waiting to make money (IE fight) they are like a sitting duck being someone else’s “property” because they signed a contact. One in some cases won’t even allow them to fight in the USA or anywhere else in Canada REGARDLESS when they are set to fight again.

So I’m sure it can be frustrating, think about it. You have a job your doing well in, it gets slow they don’t put you on the schedule and your waiting to work, and they wont call you back into work or will let you go if you try to find another job to work JUST until the one you have picks up?

Again these guys/girls have families they have to support just like the promoters and owners of these organizations.

So if a fighter knows this about an organization (which most do) WHY wouldn’t they only sign fight by fight contacts? That way they can also keep their options open correct? Everyone is always looking to better them self and live a life they can be satisfied and proud of and many of these guys are trying to do the same thing.

Another thing in this article that kind of bothered me is, this organization mentioned harps that they are the number one MMA organization in Canada, they sell out all these shows, and have all these great fights and big names. YET in the same sense they “DONT WANT TO BE A FARM TEAM FOR THE UFC.”

Now I’m not going to sit here and say that they aren’t number one, I’m in no position to say the ranking system of  MMA Organizations in Canada, however I do know of some who put together great shows too.

The way I look at it, if you can produce these great fighters, great fights, great champions and have them get a call from Dana White saying “How would you like to make your UFC debut” and your fighters seem to be making some people in the UFC open their eyes isn’t that a great thing? I mean, you have all these nubes coming into the fight game and like everyone they search their opponents, or fans search different fighters, wouldn’t you want them to search and see that they fought in your organization “x” amount of times and then were able to make their way to the UFC?

YOU would have many people wanting to watch your organizations events and come out to see them I’m sure, if these fighters are getting into the UFC… I mean they are signing guys who USE TO FIGHT for the UFC all the time. Pete Spratt, Thalies Leties, Jason MacDonald, Paul Daley etc… IF anything you might be labeled as the organization the fighters go to build them self back up before GOING back to the UFC. That doesn’t bother you because they already have their reputations, and people know them, cheap advertising and your seats are filled (depending on the fighter)…

I think there are too many shady organizations out there, ones who care about the money which kill the love for the sport, the love of putting on a good show, the love of driving the fighters you hire to want to do well, to win, to make something of them self. An organization should feel proud when one of its fighters gets the “big shot” I mean with MMA being so huge, male fighters come a dime a dozen… EVERYONE and their mother wants to be an MMA fighter. So its not like you can’t replace them…. Then build them up.

Its a shame that Machan and the MFC couldn’t agree. I’m also sure that losing Machan probably won’t make or break the MFC but I’m sure there is a lot more to the story then what is discussed in the Media. Good luck to both in the future, and I was personally looking forward to Machan maybe getting a title shot… 10-3 record regardless what card he won on, where on the card he was fighting, that record still screams “give it a chance”…

Those are my thoughts… kudos to Top MMA News for their MMA updates and quality of some articles….

Christina