NPC and Keto: 8 Weeks Out

What made me decide to embark on the Ketogenic Diet while training for a bikini competition? If you do not know anything about being Keto, it truly will BLOW your mind at how completely ASS backwards it is from anything anyone will tell you about clean eating. Let me break it down REAL simple for you...

EAT MORE FAT TO LOSE FAT

That's right, this momma is training for her first NPC competition and it eating 70% fat daily!!! I warned you it would change your perspective on clean eating. A little disclosure needs to be said, this eating regimen is not for everyone, so enter with caution. If you LOVE pasta, sweets, and fruits this plan will be very difficult for you, will require amazing will power but is completely doable!

Cheesy Frittata Muffins

I know the first assumption you are making "Oh she is on Atkins". Wrong, Atkins is more restrictive than Keto and works in phases. Many times people "yo yo" on Atkins because there are so many damn rules. Keto is less structured and follows IIFYM ("If It Fit Your Macros"). I still do my meal plans every Sunday and prep for my week except now I spend more time in the meat department than fruit department. I'm learning to adjust.

SO how am I making a nutrition plan focused on consuming fat work for a bikini competition. Well the first thing you should know is that fat can be used as energy. The only organ in your body that requires energy from carbohydrates is your brain! Since carbohydrates are 100% anti-ketogenic, I eat them sparingly and they are derived primarily from vegetables (and my daily dose of Shakeology). Most tissues can use FFAs (Free Fatty Acids) as fuel and since fat is 90% ketogenic I say "bring on the bacon" (or something like these Cheesy Frittata Muffins!

So I know that I can create energy eating fat but what about the muscle growth and proteins? Well if the macro split is 70% fat- 20% protein- 10% carbohydrate you would think that I would not be getting enough protein to supply mu muscles with what they need. Wrong AGAIN! for an active person, only ~0.9g of protein is needed per lb of weight. So I only need about 116g of protein a day. That's ample no matter what nutrition plan you are following (it can actually be difficult to get in some days).

The secret to keeping my muscles on the path of "pumped up" instead of "wimped out" is CYCLYING.  I consume about 12g of carbohydrates about 1 hour before a lifting session (this allows my muscles to use the carbohydrate energy). I then have 25g of protein immediately after lifting to help my muscles repair.

It has certainly been working as you can see. The photo on the left was my last day of PiYo/first day of NPC training (16 weeks out). I then took pictures at 12 weeks out and again this morning at 8 weeks out. The training schedule has not been the easiest (especially since I have decided not to use a trainer) however, I finally have found my grove and things are shaping up nicely...

My Training schedule...

the dreaded leg day

Sunday
45 min Cardio
Legs/Glutes/Calves

Monday
45 min Cardio
Back/Rear delts/Abs

Tuesday
50 min HIIT (PiYo)
Chest/Bicep/Calves

Wednesday
REST

Thursday
50 Min HIIT (PiYo)
Shoulders/Tricep/Abs

Friday

Plyometics
50 min HIIT (PiYo)

Saturday 
REST

Be CREATIVE

So I've become best friends with the trainers at my gym, I have Googled more "how to" videos than I wish to admit, and I have stalked every keto group on Facebook and Google+ to obtain as much knowledge as I can. When I began this journey I really wanted to just knock something off my bucket list. I quickly learned that I needed a better goal. This journey has pushed me WAY out of my comfort zone. Anyone who knows me knows I'm not a fan of gyms. All the grunting, moaning, sweating and crashing of weights was just too much for me. I mean I "knew" everyone was JUDGING me every time I walked in. I learned another quick lesson, The true fanatics, the serious lifters are in THEIR ZONE. They hardly realize you are there unless you move their weight or take too long on a machine. They are also great for advice, suggestions, spots and motivation. I do not consider myself a "meat head" by any means and I am by no means a "gym rat". As soon as this training is over I will get back to my normal home workouts with my favorite trainers (with a few gym sessions here and there). However for the next 8 weeks I will be continually washing laundry, drinking at least my body weight in H2O and continuing to eat lots of bacon until I hit the stage on November 2nd.