How Body by Vi Shaped my Transformation

One of the most frequently asked questions is how I am applying the Body By Vi Challenge Kit products to my particular transformation. 

I am using the Transformation Kit which includes: 2 bags of Vi Shape shake mix, 2 boxes of Neuro (healthy energy drink), Vi Slim (metabolic booster tablets) and Vi Trim (hunger control powder).  Also at my disposal is the Vi Pak (daily and nightly vitamins). 

During Phase 1 of my eating plan and also the Pre-Contest Carb Cycling phase, I was on three shakes a day.  Three DOUBLE shakes a day.  4 scoops Vi Shape, 8-12 oz. water and some ice.  I used one as a pre-workout shake every morning, no matter what phase of eating I was in.  The other two were always used as snacks.  One mid-morning and one mid-afternoon. 

For you fellow Visalians out there, if you do the math, that means I was consuming one complete bag of Vi Shape shake mix every 5 days single-handedly!  During this time, I didn't take the Vi Pak every day.  Once every few days.  I figured with all that shake mix, I was probably pretty covered in the vitamin department. 

Since I had a previous history using whey protein, I appreciated the opportunity to drink Vi Shape instead.  Whey protein tastes bad.  And it never kept me full like Vi Shape does.  And whey is gritty.  Vi Shape mixes really well.  Often I would make a shake in the morning and put ice in it, put it in my Vi shaker cup, and put it in the fridge.  The ice would stay and the whole shake tasted amazing hours after the fact.  It doesn't get more convenient than that.  There were some days when I wasn't that organized that I would just bring the shake bag with me and put some water in a 12 oz. styrofoam cup and put four scoops of Vi Shape in that and use coffee stirrers to mix it up.  It was funny to see half the cup full of shake mix before water was even added.  It made a really thick, milkshake like drink though and I thought it was pretty tasty.  And easy to get in as a snack during a busy day. 

Neuro and Vi Trim were hands-down the keys to my dietary success on this transformation.  The third week into my Challenge a huge life stress entered my life that is still present today.  It caused many sleepless nights, lots of preoccupation with stressful tasks and thoughts and without Neuro, I'm not sure I could've carried on with the Challenge.  See, with my busy schedule, 5:30 AM is really the only time I can work out five days a week and always make it without conflict.  My gym is across town, so I wake up every morning at 4:30.  Neuro in the pre-workout shake helped me wake up and perform at my workouts.  As the diet became more strict, every mid-morning and every mid-afternoon I would have a Neuro with a Vi Trim to keep my hunger at bay.  It worked so well.  I would often compare notes with other contestants prepping too and they were really suffering from hunger and lack of energy.  I had tools at my disposal to manage these issues and it was the key for me staying on track.

I used the Vi Slim as directed as well.  Some people feel "zingy" from Vi Slim, I don't feel a noticeable difference in my energy level, but as with all the Visalus products, I always feel generally vibrant and even keel.  A constant sense of well-being.

The Transformation Kit is something that I will continue to use, even when I transition into maintenance mode.  I love the products and they all have a place in a healthy, fit lifestyle.  I truly am a "Body by Vi".

The Show

I woke up at 7:15 the morning of the show.  Thank goodness that night is over.  Seriously!  I have minimal things to do to be ready to go...I put on my show suit and put the sweats right back on over it.  But not before thoroughly inspecting my body in the suit.  Ahhh...dehydration.  I get it now.  My stomach muscles are showing and my stomach has sucked in quite a bit.  I flip around for a booty check.  Yessss!  Looking much, much better.  Still large and in charge, but so much better. 

I brush my teeth. Sort of.  With minimal water of course.  My mouth is so dry the toothpaste just kind of adheres to the inside walls of my mouth.  I end up rinsing some water in there just to get it out.  I sooo wanted to swallow that water.  But no, I'll spit it out in the name of smaller hips.

I pack the things I'll need for the show: satin robe (some people have been roaming around the hotels in their robes since last night.  I'm not sure at what point I will put mine on, but not yet).  5" heels.  Cameras.  Phone.  My 8x10 "before" pictures - I have a plan for those.  Food.  Ohhhhh the thought of choking down more dry chicken with no water is making me sicker than the hunger I feel.  I'll bring it, but I don't think I can eat it. 

I say goodbye to hubs and hop the shuttle to the resort.  I'm the only person on the shuttle and the driver and I have a nice conversation about the competition details and she wishes me luck.  She has no idea how much I need it today!!

I was way early for my hair and makeup appointment.  So I hang out in the lobby and listen to my iPod and try to relax.  About ten 'til 8 I go to find the room I'm supposed to go to.  Woops.  I don't know where I am going.  The elevators to my team's rooms apparently aren't the same.  Now I'm frantic.  I find the concierge and he smirks and tells me to look across the way at the other half of the hotel across the courtyard.  Yeah, yeah, ok, I get it.  I'd be kind of miffed if I could muster up the energy.  But I can't so I limp away toward the elevator I'm supposed to be on.  I get up to the room and my hair and make-up artist Meredith informs me she's running a few minutes behind.  I hear a "hello!" coming from the bathroom, I look in at it's Shannon!  A girl I met in posing class.  Yay!  A familiar and friendly face.  We catch up on competition prep.  Turns out she's doing Figure (she practiced bikini with me months ago in posing class).  She's done a show before and so feels ready for today.  She saw me back in my first posing class, all 29% body fat of me, and couldn't believe my transformation.  All the conversation and friendly vibes were making me feel so much better.  Friends are good.  I peer one last time into my lunch bag and decide me and chicken are officially breaking up.  For now.

I take an "after makeup" picture of Shannon and we wish each other well.  I, in similar fashion have Meredith, my makeover guru take a before makeup picture of me.  Let's see what a competition makeover looks like!  She does my makeup, commenting how she feels so sorry for us girls with our completely dried out lips because we are so dehydrated.  We talk about my transformation and Meredith is so supportive and excited about it! She says she is going to come out and watch me compete and cheer me on.  Yay!  More friends to love on me while I'm strung out.  This is making me feel very happy.  Meredith's sister Marina comes in and she starts working on my hair and we are all excitedly chatting about the day's events and how it will go for them, doing hair and makeup and then joining Joe Pesci downstairs to tan ladies all day long.  They told me they would happily reapply makeup and help me get properly gussied up for the show all day long and to just come find them.  Ah, I love a good connection!  These girls are my peeps!!    It takes exactly an hour to do hair and makeup.  Here is a before and after of my competition makeover:

I almost labeled the before and after pictures.  Ha haaaaa.  Yeah, I'm guessing you can figure it out. 

So now I'm rushing immediately downstairs to the competitor meeting.  I am analytical and need every piece of information I can get.  Wow, I can't believe it's 45 minutes until the day round starts.  Thank goodness for distractions!!

I run into my team in the hotel lobby and we all go to the meeting together.  I run into the girl from high school and we give each other some encouraging words and move along with our respective teams.  The meeting is basically asking the bikini girls to not be lude and crude and to keep it "for the family".  Then they go through a bodybuilding posing routine to show what's expected.  They mention that last year's event had 140 competitors and this years it's around 220!  They mention future competitions and who should be getting tan touch-ups when.  And then we are dismissed. 

My team finds an area in the "pump area" to put our stuff and station ourselves.  The figure girls will go on first.  I head to spray tan to fix the debacle my tan has become.  I've become blotchy and realized my toes never got tanned last night.  They completely respray me.  I also had them apply "bikini byte" a rolling glue stick that keeps the bikini where it should be.  Apparently it's a show essential.  I had them glue me wherever they could possibly glue.  Whew.  One less thing to worry about.  That sucker ain't movin'. 

Now I finally don the robe.  I'm looking around watching my teammates "pump".  The trainers have them lifting weights strategically to make their muscles pop.  It's amazing to watch the definition articulate in their arms as they do it.  Wow!  Wow!  Wow!  I'm watching ladies in five inch heels drop and do army-style pushups.  It's crazy.  It's fun.  It's a completely different world.  Then, in disbelief, I watch my teammates eat chocolate covered raisins, offered by the trainers to raise their blood sugar and energy right before going on stage.  Nice!  I get to have some and at first it's like the most delicious thing ever.  But then, my dehydration trumps the chocolate (I didn't know anything could trump chocolate??).  My mouth gets all drawn and I'm instantly nauseated.  Not.  Feeling.  Well.  I tell my trainers and I get to have like an ounce of water.  I swish it in my mouth really good before swallowing it because I am treasuring it.  Make it last!  I told them I'm too sick to eat my chicken and they said it's fine at this point to not eat.  So now we wait.  I go out onto the floor with my trainer to watch my teammates compete in their classes.  Amanda's class was huge.  I guess they are typically 8-ish competitors.  She had 18!  She did really well and I was so proud of her.  We've all come such a long way and everyone just looks so good up there.  I spot where my family is sitting.  They don't see me but now I know where I might spot them. 

I head backstage and finally it's my turn to lineup.  They call my name and I'm walking toward the line and for the first time since yesterday, I finally have the courage to look in a mirror.  Hey!  Wait a second!  I back it up.  That's me?!?!  I look kind of...well....good!  But then I look at my place in line.  I am standing next to Robo-Blonde number 1 - a tall, svelte, amazing looking girl that puts the "wow" in boom chicka wow wow and she just so happens to be wearing the very suit I saw at my suit-makers place and said "I want that suit!!" She informed me it was already spoken for and I instantly wanted to somehow find a way to swap it out with Robo-Blonde #1.  If I had a carbohydrate left in my body, I'm sure I could take her.  Oh well.    Come to find out it's her first show too and she's lost about 30 pounds as well, but over a longer period of time.  Dangit.  Beautiful AND nice?  Sheesh.  I'm having a hard time doing the girl thing and hating her.  The gal behind me is Robo-Blonde #2.  She is so hot that she turns boom chicka wow wow into bowmmmm cheeka wow wowwwww.  Why do I have to be between the robo-blondes?  What's worse is they are on the same team and apparently are in the midst of a she-mance (a bromance for chicks) and so they keep reaching around me to touch hands and look all dramatic and supportively at each other.  Put Hallmark on standby, I feel a fitness competition card being written as we speak.

As I'm mentally figuring out how I am going to strategize all this blonde hotness around me and somehow market myself as equally hot on stage, I hear my teammate Anna's name being called.  Wait a second.  She's not entered in my class.  Au contraire.  Screw up in the registration and now she's no longer in the Master's class (Ladies over 35 years old)  She's now in mine!  Now don't get me wrong, Anna has got this freak-of-nature perfect fitness body that makes even the Robo-Blonde's look out of shape.  She's amazing.  But I know she could probably obliterate her competition in Master's and now she's walking with 20 year olds.  I know what she will be thinking.  I run out of line to let her know she's being called and alas, Anna is added to my group.   We pin our little button numbers on whatever piece of fabric exists to hold up our suit bottoms and I guess with that, we are ready. 

Me, the Robo-Blondes and Anna

We line up at the backstage entrance.  We can hear the class on stage.  The girl I went to high school with is in the class before me so I am cheering her on.  I have suddenly decided in my anxiety that the odds of me sporting a camel toe on stage are 50-50 with the size of my suit bottoms and that no amount of bikini byte can remedy this now.  I am frantically picking at my crotch backstage and I just don't care what people see or think.  Must. Avoid. Camel. Toe.  At all costs.  I'm sorry if that's rude and gross, but seriously if that were to actually happen out there, it'd be worse.  Trust me.  Family show, remember??  Okay.  Whew.  I think the toe issue is at bay. I look to my right and see my trainer in the doorway.  Did he just see that?  I don't know.  I don't think so.  He came back to be my Posture Police and tell me to straighten up.  Yes!  I forgot, but I will.  Must look as tall and lean as possible.  And with that, they call out our division.

I repeat my prayer for this weekend, which is "Dear Lord, May I shine as bright as this suit, may I not trip in my 5 inch heels, may my spray tan take two sizes off my hips and in all the madness, may I have a little fun! Amen"

I walk out, back straight, determined not to trip and to look like I belong out there regardless of how I feel.  If I look scared out there, I will look awkward and out of place.  I must own it.  Work it girl! 
They call us all out in a line, then have us in 5's come forward and pose, swivel sassily around and pose butt to the crowd (I almost lost footing here but I am the only one who knew that beside the girl behind me that saw my startled face and locked eyes with me).  Swivel back around.  Go back into the big line.  Then after all the groups of five have been seen they call out three groups of random numbers and this is based on how the judges will probably rank them.  First group will probably be the top five.  They have them pose and swivel quite a bit as they judge them.  These girls are good.  I'm trying to keep posing and smiling and working it but I'm kind of watching them too.  To see how it's done.  Awesome.  Second group gets called out.  Third group gets called out and my number was one of them.  I totally wasn't expecting to get called out at all, so my mind was like "wait!  Did they just call my number??"  I wanted them to repeat it so I didn't go to the front if they didn't in fact call my number, but I knew that wasn't going to happen so I move forward.   I smiled big and locked eyes with the judges, changing up my poses as much as possible.  I see the value of posing class now and I had a good one.  We retreat off stage and that is day round for me.

Before the competition, one of the trainers told me there would be so many spotlights I wouldn't be able to see the crowd while on stage.  Wrong.  For some reason, my sister Mindy's face shone like a beacon in the night.  She was so radiantly lit up and I could see from her face that I must be fitting into the group and doing okay.  No shock, dismay or mortification going on from my family.  Whew.  She looked really proud of me and that made me smile even bigger. 

I pull my sweats on and the trainers inform me we will reconvene at 5:45.  I get to go eat.  They said I could eat whatever I wanted.  Have a hamburger and fries if I want.  Just very little water.  Huh?  I asked them one more time and explained that my dehydrated, starved brain may not have heard them correctly.  No, it was correct.  Hmmmm...what to eat?

I go to my family's table and their energy was kinetic.  They were just competely jacked up and said I looked like I fit right in and I did so good up there.  They were buzzing with pride and happiness.  EEEEEKKKK!  We break to eat and they want to take some pictures, so in a completely untrue to my fashion act, I strip down to my bikini and heels in the casino lobby and we take pictures.  My own personal paparazzi and I owned. it.  Niiiiice.  They kept oohing and ahhing at how lean I looked and I absorbed the praise.  I have killed myself to get here and I'm doing it.  A goal that is bigger than I could even believe for last Thursday and here I am.  How 'bout that?

We go to eat and I get a big fruit plate with cottage cheese.  And have a quarter of a turkey sandwich off my Dad's plate.  And a sippy of water.  Ahhhh, it felt so good to eat!  And fruit!  Every bit as good as I dreamed.  We walked around the casino for awhile.  It was only 1-ish, so hubs and I went out to my parents car and we took a nap.  I slept hard for a couple of hours and was so glad I did. 

I met up with my team again at 5:45.  This is starting to feel like a long day.  I felt better with some food and rest, but it became apparent that night round was going to take awhile.  Each person gets to walk individually and be introduced and parade a couple poses and then they crown winners.  I got tanned.  Again.  Bronzed.  Glazed.  Again.  I have so many layers of colored crud on my you could probably take a putty knife to me and get a solid amount of product off my skin.  I did my walk and it went good I think.  I don't think I 'nailed it', because I felt like I had to hold back my walk so I didn't shake in the wrong places, which made me unsure about how that was looking to others.  But I smiled, posed and did my thang.  It was nerve wracking to have the whole stage to myself.  When each girl got off stage the rest would cheer for them backstage.  I guess I just wasn't expecting such a supportive environment.  All in all, I was having a really great time.  And I met some really great people.   Our winners got crowned and we all retreated to the pump area again. 

I got my trusty sweats on again, said goodbye to my team and went and claimed my family.  We decided to leave and start heading home.  I had another part of somebody's sandwich and started filling my body with water immediately.  Water has never tasted so good.

When I got home, as tired as I was, I knew I needed to march right into the shower.  It was said that this tan could last 10-14 days.  Mine seemed to pretty much all wash right off.  I'm okay with that.  I was sad to see my fake eyelashes come off.  I could get used to those.  Pretty much, I walked into the shower a rockstar bikini diva and came back out my usual everyday self.  Dang.

The next morning, I have to admit, I felt like Cinderella after midnight.  Yesterday seemed like a dream.  Totally surreal and still slightly unbelievable that I did all that.  I'm exhausted today.  Right to the core.  I put on loungewear, we ran a few errands and I took naps and ate and drank and just vegged all day.  I needed to just rest and recoup.  The Challenge resumes tomorrow!!

Pre Show Week!

Friday
I'm getting dangerously close to the show. As soon as tomorrow (1 week away) I start a regimen of scrubs and lotions each day to prep my body for the mondo spray tan I will be receiving Friday night. Apparently, not only do I need multiple exfoliations but also the pH of my skin must be just right for the tan to absorb well. Sigh. Did I mention I'm a low maintenance girl? I had to literally write myself sticky notes and post them in my calendar so I remember to scrub and moisturize. Sad.

On the upside, I found some pictures on Facebook of me in March and man have I changed. I just hope it's enough!

Saturday (T-Minus One Week 'til Show)
Scrub and moisturize in preparation of mondo spray tan.  Check.

My excitement up until this point is officially being replaced by terror.  I am TERRIFIED.  Sheez, what is WRONG with me??

I'm full of fear.  My hope is to go out there and just not look out of place.  Because this is a fitness competition which means there are going to be people there that have been doing this for years.  I'll have been at it for 68 days.  Seriously?  What made me think I could do this?!?!  If I can just go on stage and not stick out like a total outcast, I'll be happy.  The judges and audience will have no idea the journey I've been on and although I know I am doing this for my challenge and myself, I still don't want to look like a crazy fool.  Ughhhhhhhhh.

Sunday (T-Minus 6 Days 'til Show)

Moisturize Only.  Check.

My workout today is doubly hard.  He's taken it up a notch and we are shredding my legs when my legs have nothing in them to give.  Digging very deep emotionally to get the physical to happen today.

Today is my last posing class.  The girls are there en masse and all in their suits.  Can't wait til I can see mine!  Today shook my confidence as apparently my chest and butt are doing a little too much shaking when I walk sassy so I have to tone it down while trying to keep it zesty.  Ohhhh, WHY does the last posing class have to be the time when issues arise??  Now I am not feeling so great about my posing. 

Monday (T-Minus 5 Days 'til Show)
Today my cardio is done in the morning to shake up the routine and shock the body (as if it hasn't been shocked enough??)

Afternoon workout with trainer included for the first time HIIT training - pushups, crawl into pushups, bicep curls/presses, plank, plank on elbows, plank with toes on exercise ball, lat raises, front raises, elliptical: 20 seconds crush it, 20 seconds leisurely for 5 minutes.  Repeat cycle.

We had our competitor team meeting and I got measured.  16.4% body fat!!!!  YESSSSSS!  Obviously, I would like to be lower than that going into a competition, but hey!  63 days ago I was 29% body fat with a dream of getting into the teens.  There are three of us on Team Platinum.  This will be the first competition for each of us.  The other two are competing in figure so they are extremely lean and looking amazing at this point.  I still feel like Fatty McFatty in comparison, but I have to push that feeling out of my head or I will never go through with this.  We were informed that much of our Saturday will be in a satin robe (which I need to go buy because sweats is my luxury leisurewear these days and satin is not in my possession) and our competition suits.  All three of us have competely different bodies and goals so the trainer was mentioning how interesting it is that we will all be on different food plans going into this competition.

Scrubbed and moisturized today.  Check.

Since I workout at the same time every day and have for two months, there are some regular people at the gym that have been watching me work my guts out and watching me transform.  I call them my "cheerleaders" because they have always been full of supportive comments, questions about my challenge and excitement about the upcoming show.  They are all starting to wish me well and it's very moving.  Even the other trainer at the gym is full of excitement about the show and full of helpful advice.  These people want me to get out there and reach my goal.  It's cool.

The stress of everything is feeling really emotional to me.  I am not a very overly-emotional person in general and right now I feel like I could use just a big, unabashed, gut wrenching cry to just cleanse out all the stress and uckiness of the fear and exhaustion and feelings of the journey thus far.  But not right now.  But definitely before the show sometime so I don't end up tearful during.  It's just a lot to take in.

Tuesday (T-Minus 4 Days 'til Show)
Moisturize.  Check.

Today's workout involved running and shredding my arms.  Without carbs, everything feels so much harder than usual. 

I got my hair cut and colored.  I went a little blonder which is how I like it.  I have no idea how they will style it, so I'm not sure what to do.  We left my bangs long and just trimmed to keep it healthy looking.

I left work this afternoon and SWEAR the air outside smelled just like donuts.  I'm pretty sure this is the official start of food hallucinations.  Mmmm  Donutsssss. 

I also find myself unable to take my eyes off of other people's food.  I'm like a dog.  I have to ask people what they've eaten, what are they eating and then I stare at it until it's gone.  Woof.

I'm starting to daydream about what I would like to eat after the show.  I thought it would be something totally junk food related, but what I really want is a deli style turkey sandwich and a big bowl of fruit.  I really miss fruit.  It's been weeks without it and I miss that by far more than anything.

Wednesday (T-Minus 3 Days 'til Show)


Scrub and moisturize.  Sigh.  This is very high maintenance to a low maintenance gal like myself.
 
I thought I heard my trainer say I would still be getting carbs, just not hydrating after eating them.  But I was wrong.  No more carbs until after the show.  Ugh.  Bye bye energy (what was left of it, anyway).
 
On the upside, I'm down three pounds since Sunday and very stoked to be back in a goal weight range I haven't seen in a longgg time.
 
My workout consisted of pushing over a huge tire, jumping on it, in it and then over it.  Again and again.  And squat presses, squat pulls.  Running a mile fast.  We were done early today, which was fine by me. I'm spent.
 
I went shopping today and bought a satin robe and some blingy jewelry.  I noticed that a lot of the bikini girls wear sparkly earrings and bracelets and I found the perfect things to suit me.  That was fun!
 
There is a bag of sourdough rolls on our kitchen counter that is pure evil.  Every time I walk by it I find myself saying out loud unexpectedly "I want that".  Bread....mmm...carbs....food....NO!  I will leave it as a tempation.  Who knew sourdough could be so sexy?
 
Starting yesterday this is getting really hard.  It's a little bit preoccupying in my mind and I'm having to work through some mental endurance.  I wasn't expecting it to be easy, but I didn't think through how hard it might be.  I can do this.
 
I went to Shutterbug and printed 8x10's of my before pictures.  I'm sitting on the Kodak machine reviewing my pictures.  Why, of all the times to go to Shutterbug, do all the machines need to have people on them?  I'm sandwiched between two people and here pop up huge images of my before pictures.  Nice.  People are probably not understanding why I feel the need to enlarge such an unflattering picture.  The poor Shutterbug attendant will be earning their money today!!  I just hope the images aren't burned into their memories.  Maybe I'll leave them a tip...

I've received a couple of emails from the tanning outfit who will be doing the spray tans at the competitions.  Both were disturbing in their own right. 

Email #1: Excerpt of interest

Sleeping:
Wearing cotton gloves while you sleep can save your palms and alleviate 70% of touchups.

Sleeping with stacked pillows under your knees will keep you from sleeping on your side. Sleeping on your side will allow your legs to touch which creates heat and you sweat where your legs touch. If you stack some pillows under your shoulders this also helps keep you from side sleeping, for me it is comfortable. Well as comfortable as you can get the night before your show.

Keep yourself lightly clothed, I sleep in my contest suit, for women that may not be very comfortable so sleep in as little as you can. If you have a pair of silk pajamas, that is best.

These are guidelines that will help keep your tan in good shape over night. Stay dry, cool, and comfortable!

Do I REALLY need to buy cotton gloves?  The sleep situation as outlined above seems like I can throw away any ideas of being comfortable and getting rested for the show.  Fantastic!

Email #2: Even more disturbing

This email made me spit out my drink as it said after today you won't be wearing deodorant anymore.  Apparently, if you do, the spray tan can turn your armpits green. 

Hm, two more days of workouts, hovering over massage clients, and generally living in close contact with people and I have to swear off deodorant??  Oh.  Boy.  Does the glamour ever end?

Thursday (T-Minus 2 Days 'til Show)

Moisturize.  Done.

2 cardio sessions today, done separately

Got a pedicure.  As per my posing coach, French tips on the toes is best.

Got a wax.  I didn't have to Nair my arms or anything since I sport more of a peach fuzz than hair, but a good solid wax is unavoidable when you are parading around in a doilie.

My plan is to drink lots and lots of water today because after tonight, I do not get any more water until after the show.  Anyone who knows me knows water is very imperative to me.  I'm nervous about not being able to have any.

I am supposed to shower tonight but not tomorrow also due to water restriction.  Apparently my skin can drink too much water too?? Who knew??

So...no deodorant....no shower...what is backstage going to smell like?  Blech.

Tonight I finally get to try on my suit.  Normally a suit would be done way before now.  But I think my people were waiting to see if I was actually going to go through with it.  And then with my dimensions changing so much, it's hard to have it done super early.  My suit is custom made for me, I got to go and pick out the fabric and expressed my desire for as much bling and sparkle as possible.  We discussed suit types and she knew exactly the style I would've chosen which looks best on my body shape:  string bikini bottom and halter style top.   My suit it beautiful.  Sparkly jewels and a gorgeous pink/purple metallic color.  But it's awfully small.  And on my body it seems even smaller.  I just happened to run into another bikini competitor when I went to go try it on and it's a girl I went to high school with so that was such a small world experience.  It was fun to run into her, but made me anxious because next to her, I felt like Godzilla.  But I'm gonna have to get over that feeling because it is very likely I will feel like that all weekend.  Get over it, sister. 

When I left the fitting with my suit in hand, I was unnerved.  Officially.  Freaking.  Out.  I can't do this.  Can I do this?  What ever made me think I could do this in two months?  Please don't let me look like a total freak out there.  Does my suit even fit?  Should I turn back and have her refit it?  How is my butt not going to totally eat the tiny back of that suit?  Is there a Godzilla class in Bikini?  I'm in trouble.  What do I do?  I can't back out now?  Can I?  Should I?  Hey, people like booty.  I could go for a Beyonce sort of twist to this thing.  No.  I'm not lean enough.  It's going to be bad.  Very very bad.  And worse.  On the internet. 

I texted my trainer.  God Bless my trainer.  I'm sure I unleashed all sorts of crazy via text message on this poor man.  He asked me to send over some pics of me in my suit to help me verify whether in fact we are crazy by entering me in this stinkin' contest.  He assured me I looked fine and adding spray tan and dehydration would be that much better.  I asked if I could request a Jamaican tan.  He laughed.  I didn't.  I had to just completely trust his judgment and reassurance, which is practially impossible for me to do.  But I did.  What choice did I have?

My husband witnessed my complete meltdown and had me try on the suit at home and thought it looked great.  Okay.  Feeling a little better.  Because my husband wouldn't tell me that if he didn't know it to be true to his opinion. 

I killed it during my second cardio workout in reaction to all the fears listed above.  I drank tons of water and took a long shower to clean off the crazies. 

Friday (T-Minus 1 Day 'til Show)

All I get to eat today is chicken five times.  No fluids.  No shower.  Chicken.  Dry.  Chicken.  No Drink.  Chicken.  I'm so hungry I don't care. 

But by 11am I am missing water in a big way.  To the point I have to close my eyes and tell myself I have to get through this.  That it's not reasonable that I could possibly be dehydrated already.  I've had plenty of water leading up to this point.  In the past I could've run a half marathon on the water that is in my body now so let's be reasonable here, Melissa.  In the future I would not work on this day.  I would stay in my jammies and stare off into space which is exactly how I could've best managed this day.

I got fake finger nails.  Full set of gel with French tips.  They were so pretty but such a waste for me because I have to file them all back down to massage therapist nubs by Sunday night.  Pity. 

I'm in that weird space today.  No workout.  Idle calm time between normal life and a whirlwind of a weekend that is going to change my life story. 

After I got my nails done I headed home and we waited for my parents to pick us up and make the 3 hour drive to the resort.  I've never packed so little for a weekend away...bikini, 5" heels, satin robe, flip flops, sweats and some chicken.  Here we go!

I arrived around 6.  Checked into my hotel which was just across the street from Seven Feathers Resort & Casino.  All the twiggy or buff people were obviously there for the competition.  The other folks looked shocked to see so many twiggy and buff people roaming around and were apparently there for a vacation of sorts.  I met up with my peeps, my trainer and teammates.  I was feeling extremely apprehensive and still 1 strand from coming unglued at this point.  Plus I was starving which means illogical.  Plus I was thirsty which means desperate.  Strung out seems like an appropriate descriptor. 

I felt bad for my teammate Amanda.  She was having some bloating issues and had to do a workout in her sweatsuit in a sauna.  She looked purple and miserable.  I wish I could've seen that workout but was so incredibly thankful I didn't have to do it. 

We went to check in.  You have to wear your suit under your clothes and then pull down your pants and flash your butt to the lady at check in to make sure your suit isn't too skimpy (loose definition here) for their "family oriented" show.  Mmm hmm.  Okay.  I studied the lady's face very carefully to see if she was shocked or mortified by my butt.  Nope.  Okay then.   Got my height measured and then confirmed my contest division with the officials.  There were some verrrrry beautiful girls at check-in and I started to go down my shame spiral again.  Normally I'm such a rise-to-the-occasion girl.  But I find that where my body image and self confidence are linked, there's a break in the bridge.  This whole experience is hitting a nerve for me.  A deeply personal one.  If I survive this, it will be a miracle. 

We had girl time back at the hotel and then went to our spray tan appointments.  Part of the hotel conference room and the hallway are now lined with canvas sheets on the floor and plastic all over the walls.  There is a big arena of plastic with zipper door entries.  You go in and it's like a tan-tent-city in there.  I could've gotten the lady for my spray tan.  But no.  I got Joe Pesci's Northwest equivalent.  Had had to lift up "the girls" to spray and dry under them.  (Can somebody verify I didn't get duped into going to second base?)  Then he crouched down in front of me and thoroughly sprayed my nether-regions brown.  Just another day at the office, ya know?  I'm a massage therapist and even I was feeling a little exposed.  The good thing is, after that, all inhibitions were G.O.N.E.  My doilie looked like a bodysuit now!

After our tans, we laughed, took some pictures and went our separate ways to bed.

After I got back to my hotel room I realized Houston, we have a problem.  A big one.  All the sheets and towels in the hotel are stark white and I am such an incredibly ridunkulous color of orange/brown.  I frantically texted one of my teammates.  Apparently she got the memo to bring old sheets to sleep on.  Oh no.  What am I gonna do?  Roam the night like a supertan vampire?  I decide to lay out my clothes chalk-outline style on the brown carpet on the floor of the hotel room, line my body up in exactly the formation and try to just sleep soundly and not move in this formation.  That lasted until 2:30 in the morning.  I was freezing.  And I moved and smudged tan on the carpet.  And oops I woke up on my side which is a tanning no-no and now my legs will need touched up.  And I'm thirsty and hungry, miserably tired and really irritated that I can't find a brown piece of linen anywhere in this joint.  I decide to put my sweatsuit on (my legs are already ruined) and lay out a white towel on an armchair and then I line the ottoman with, get this, KLEENEX all over the thing and strategically place myself on it.  I put the hood up on my sweatshirt and put a rolled towel under my neck and managed to sleep most of the rest of the night this way.  Who knew that naked wearing cotton gloves would've in fact been the better alternative for sleeping??  Un-be-freaking-lievable. 

Believe it or not, I was thankful when morning arrived.  Thankful because I don't have to get my PhD to figure out how to sleep with a spray tan on any longer.  Good grief. 

The Food

I started my workouts on a Monday.  My first phase of my food plan started Thursday.  Corey (Trainer) said to ease into a new program so it's not so shocking to the system.  The workouts were hard enough, believe me.  But I was anxious to get started and very motivated so I felt better once I had a food plan in my hands.

Corey had me log a few days of my eating - time I ate, what I had, etc.  I had to be very honest because how can he help me if he doesn't know what I'm doing currently?  Writing down my eating made me visually see how much worse I was eating compared to last year when I was at my lowest weight and also how much eating out is likely contributing to my weight issue.  Lots of eating out. 

Phase 1 - Entry into Healthy Eating

Pre-Workout: Vi Shape Shake

Post-Workout: breakfast consisting of eggs, oatmeal and berries

Snack: Vi Shape Shake or Nutra Cookie

Lunch: lean protein off of trainer's list and mixed veggies

Snack: Vi Shape Shake or Nutra Cookie

Dinner:  lean protein off of trainer's list and green veggies

No more eating after dinner.
Drink 1 gallon of water every day.
*It should be noted, when I drink a Vi Shape Shake I am using a double serving (4 Scoops of shake) in water only.  I add ice to it to make it exciting.  But that is the extent of my shakes this challenge.* 

This plan made me lethargic and very hungry.  Did I mention I was hungry?  How 'bout hungry.  I like this plan the least of all the plans (including Carb Cycling, which is saying a lot).

At one point he let me add a piece of fruit to my afternoon snack and that helped a little with how I was feeling.

Phase 2 - The Salmon Phase

I was on this diet for a longgggg time.  Or at least it felt like it.  I felt very lucky though because I really like salmon, so even though this is A LOT of salmon.  It just wasn't that bad!

Pre-Workout - Vi Shape Shake (yep, still double serving in just water)

Breakfast - eggs, oatmeal and berries.

Snack - lean protein off of trainer's list and veggies off of trainer's list

Lunch - salmon and green veggies

Snack - lean protein off of trainer's list and veggies off of trainer's list

Dinner - salmon and green veggies

Gallon of water daily.
No snacks after dinner.
Corey said the good fat from the salmon will help me feel better and it did.  I loved this meal plan and found it easy to stick to.  I did finally start to get really tired of salmon near the end of this phase.

Phase 3 - Carb-Cycling (this is a pre-contest diet)

This looks very much like Phase 1, except that carbs were eliminated for 2 days and then I would get them for 1 day and repeat and repeat.  I would always feel fine on Day 1 of No Carbs, but Day 2 of No Carbs was always very hard.  I would get very hungry and get a weird desperate feeling that must be a physical longing for carbohydrates.  Carb day was always much appreciated and I felt like it was a reset button for myself.  That went along just like that until my last carb day, about a week out from the competition.  By that point, every day, even carb day felt like Day 2 of No Carbs. 

I also added a second workout during this time - an hour of cardio in the afternoon/evening.

Phase 4 - Week of Contest (this is a pre-contest diet)

Bye Bye Carb Days.  All days are no carb days now.  Super.  Very hungry. 

Second cardio workouts still happening during this phase.

The Workouts

I was often asked as I recounted the totally exhausting workouts I've been participating in: the fairly consistent feeling of being on the verge of throwing up, begging for mercy and pushing weight with muscles that literally have nothing left in them, "Are you writing all of your workouts down so you know what to do when your 90 Day Challenge is over?".

I thought about it.  But decided against it.  Here's why:

1.  My workouts are never ever the same.  I may do some of the same types of exercises, but to keep the body changing and striving to work outside of my comfort zone, it's always different.  What I can tell you is that it is a circuit style of training called "Metabolic Training".  Designed to burn 1,000-1,500 calories per workout and keep my body a raging metabolic inferno the rest of the day.  It includes bursts of cardio at various effort and times.  It always includes some form of weights.  Sometimes it's body-weight exercises, sometimes it's free weights, sometimes machines.  Reps range from 20-50, weight varies all the time.  So to try to put rhyme or reason to it is futile.  And as hard as it would be to duplicate on my own, it would be undesirable to duplicate it as well.   I workout 60 minutes 5 days a week and that includes time to warm up, cool down and stretch.  Very efficient timewise.

2.   I would NEVER do this to myself.  When my internal alarm system is going off and my brain is saying things like "you can not physically complete this exercise"  "I'm exhausted" "I have nothing left"  "It's safer to stop".  That's when my trainer just smiles and pushes harder.  It is his job to know how far to push me outside of this mental state without me getting injured.  I could probably push myself (sometimes) into this zone, but I do not recognize at what point I risk injury by doing too much.  He is excellent at knowing how far to push. 

3.  Motivation.  It's very easy to forget why I am doing this when I'm exhausted.  He reminds me that I have big goals which require moving outside of the comfort zone, that when it burns I'm burning more calories, and that if I don't complete the exercise with proper form, I get to do it again.  Motivation. 

4.  Built-in spotter.  I can't always complete the exercises.  I am a lone wolf when I work out.  Therefore I could never lift as heavy without someone to watch over me and help me out.  Having the help is helping me progress.

5.  It takes a lot less energy to just show up and do what your told.  I've spend a couple years reading, researching and planning countless workout plans.  Always taking a fairly uneducated stab at what would get me the body attributes I was looking for.  Only ever mildly successful.  This time it is working in a big way!

The value of a trainer is infinite.  I won't be able to continue with as many sessions as I have been doing to win the challenge.  But I will continue to work with my trainer.  There is huge value to it and he is an integral part of getting me where I want to go in the most efficient way possible. 

Info on my trainer and gym:  Platinum Sports & Fitness

Body by Vi Challenge #2: Crazy is as Crazy Does

Well, as low-key and toe-in-the-water as my first 90 Day Challenge was, all I can say is this one looks to be the polar opposite...How did this Challenge come to be?  Let me explain...