winner winner chicken dinner

glory to God, Sonny won 1st place in his division at the Ft. Worth MuscleMania bodybuilding show this past weekend!! here's Chiso congratulating him and apologizing for sleeping through the entire evening show in mommy's arms.  630-930...what a nap :shock:

i'm pretty proud of this guy.

i was screaming as loud as i could!!  great show and amazing jobs done by all.

here are Sonny and some of the other competitors soaking in their win.  cloud 9 status!

Chiso clearly just wanted to play with that ball, but we got a good family shot outside the venue during intermission break.  immediately following the show, Sonny's team went to dinner at Blue Mesa  to celebrate their accomplishments, weeks of hard work, dieting, and training.  both of our phones were almost dead after our long day, so my camera flash was toast.  horrible lighting for these next few pics, ugh.

along with Sonny's show day meals, i prepped all of mine for the trip as well.  and this meal was not apart of the plan lol! neither was the pizza Sonny brought me from backstage earlier.  nevertheless,  i started with a  dinner salad of field greens topped with tomatoes and red onion.  balsamic vinaigrette was on the side.

Sonny got the Perfect Tortilla Soup which had chicken, tomatoes, jack cheese, smoked chiles, and fresh lime in chicken broth.

CHIPS. sweet potato, tortilla (blue and flour).  and honestly they were nothing to write home about.  it's just that they were in front of me and i was hungry!!! snacking ensued. excessive snacking.

having no flash totally took away from the dish, but it was way tastier than it looked.  i got the Spa Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas with asparagus and grilled sweet potatoes.  the Spa section on their menu was detailed with nutritional stats and lighter options.  i totally appreciated that.  why don't restaurants just do this for the entire menu?  we're prolly better off not knowing in some cases!

Sonny asked the server for the dish with the most food and variety like he always does and ended up getting a sampler platter.  like he always does. lol.  the Mesa Sampler came with a carmelized onion quesadilla, mixed nachos, and chicken taquitos.

so on the way back to our hotel WE wanted something sweet and went through a Mc Donalds drive through in hopes to get some ice cream.   the machine was already closed down for cleaning for the night.  that has happened to us SEVERAL times... we should know the darn schedule by now.  so we ended up at the next best thing... actually it's prolly the best thing lol.

we split a whatasized vanilla shake and i'm pretty sure i slurped down 70% of it!  i hadn't had one in YEARS.  it was.... incredible.  Sonny mentioned going to In-N-Out burger too (hey we don't have one in Houston) but i had to put my foot down and call it quits.

we got some rest and headed home the next morning, but not before grabbing breakfast.  i took a selfie of my abs before we left though and i wasn't surprised that they were still flat.  after i eat crap, it pops back up to say hello on me 3-4 days later.  for a while i had myself fooled!  the symptoms may be delayed  (bloating, gas, bubble guts, pimples, fatigue, flat muscles, heaviness) but they ALWAYS come.  always.

Sonny wanted to start breakfast with a BANG but Ihop was the  best option that popped up on our GPS.  i was somewhat relieved and i'm also glad there were no Shipley's around :shock:

now THIS is a breakfast of champions.  ^^^ there's one right there, tee hee.  Ihop always did have crazy portion sizes.

Sonny smashed a steak omelette topped with cheese and tomatoes,

and a stack of what Ihop is famous for.... mmmmmm.

we got Chi a kiddie sampler of baby cakes, scrambled eggs, and turkey bacon which he did NOT like and took off his plate immediately.  i'm not a fan of the texture of turkey bacon either...i don't blame him.

 

time to get back on track.

after examining this pic closer, that totally looks like a bug in my oatmeal!!!!! LOL. i remember seeing it after stirring my bananas in though and it was definitely an oat.  i think.  i hope.

i also got a spinach, mushroom, and tomato egg white omelette that was pretty amazing.  i'm am in complete love with their Simple and Fit menu. look at all those options!!! the website is super user-friendly. seriously, GO IHOP! 4 thumbs up from fitfoodiele.

the oatmeal came with butter, brown sugar, and milk on the side, but i didn't use them.  you know what i used!  packet of stevia from the stash in my purse.

didn't bring any Walden Farms syrup with me, but they did provide sugar-free syrup.  again, GO IHOP!  HEB sells Cary's syrup as well, FYI.

we hit the road and made it home safely, thank God.  THEN i hit the gym solo to get a head start on that vanilla shake before it did too much damage lol.  Saturday was a full rest day and i did absolutely nothing for the first time in a while, so i was ready to go and pump some iron.

one of the bodybuilders gave this advice to the crowd at the show:  'it's not about who can squat the most.  it's not about who can bench press the most.  eat right, squeeze the muscle with each rep, and train hard.'  it was short, sweet, and really hit home.  during that workout, i did my best to squeeze my glutes, hams, quads, and calves with each rep. i felt and saw a difference immediately.  oooh it burns. STILL feeling it.

i did legs and cardio and got up outta there.  will be switching up my routine next week though-  time for something new.  next i hit up the store cause my Sunday just ain't right without some grocery shopping.

CONGRATULATIONS SONNY!!!!! XOXO

le

tidbits

saturday morning started out with bananas and Justin's almond butter. Chiso killed these things one by one and so did i! what a yummy combo. 

 i sprinkled some coconut flakes on a couple of them too.

we'll be having these more often.

it was leg day @ the gym-

i didn't even get to finish though which makes me so upset!!! i had to get to my hair appointment (time to chunk the deuce to this  weave)  and i was scolding myself for setting it so early in the day.  rushing through my gym time is the worst.  this is what i did get done though using moderate to heavy weight:

barbel squats 5 x 12

calve raises 5 x 12

machine  leg press 4 x 12

barbel dead lift 4 x 12

then i went into the empty workout room and did three full circuits of this holding 15 lb. dumbbells:

walking lunges forward/backwards (used length of room)

stationary reverse lunges (12 each leg)

stationary side lunges (12 each leg)

15 jumping squats (put the weights down 1st)

rest then repeat.

i ended it with 20 minutes of fat burning cardio on my second fav machine, the stairmaster. i have grown to love this thing.

700+ cals later, crotch-sweat status was achieved and we were outta there!

on our agenda for saturday was a trip to see the Rat.  { happy very 1st birthday, Levi!!!! } we hit up Chuck E. Cheese, aka, CEC, for a family birthday party.  i ate a quick meal in the car on the way of canned salmon (chicken of the sea), avocado chunks, and some asian stir fried veggies.  i think it's some rice cheese up under there somewhere too.  i sprinkled Mc Cormick's BBQ seasoning on it and it came out waaaaaaay too fast. whoops.

yeeeeah Chiso pretty much stayed cooped up under one of us for the most part.

he is not a fan of Chuck yet.   couple more trips and he'll be kicking CEC in the shins like the rest of the kids.   and yes, the weave was still present in my head at that point, lol.  i ended up having to push my appt. to the following day.  sooooo i rushed through my workout for nothin :roll:

but i'm glad i got somethin in cause WE enjoyed the 'peeza' and cupcakes.

 back on track this monday morning though, right. i hope you started your day with some GOOD stuff- i had a spinach and tomato egg white omelette, my oats made with vanilla almond milk, bananas, cinnamon, and vanilla creme stevia, and a cup of green tea.

more healthy recipes and are en route-   pumpkin chili, cauliflower crust pizza, salmon cakes, and pumpkin brownies.  it's also time for an updated oatmeal post as i make it a liiiittle different now, huh.

le

feelin good, feelin great

you know the saying, 'it's gonna get worse before it gets better.'   well, things got waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better this week, starting with my food.  new stuff on the menu! went the store and got those items this past weekend so i could start my week off on the right foot.

i hit up HEB of course and saw these little pink signs aaaaall down the bulk aisle.  yep, i was in the bulk aisle and wasn't tempted at all, really! just stopped to get some papaya for Chiso and kept it moving.  but back to these signs, OK, who ruined it for everybody!? i guess i'll raise my hand too.  they better be glad i'm not eating sweets right now, hmph.  just kidding, i'm too scary to try that, really.

few things i picked up: more mc cormick grill mates seasonings (still 1 buck at HEB), some garlic powder, onion powder, and liquid smoke.  ever heard of it?? it's EVERYTHING-free and provides awesome smokey flavor for your proteins.  i had it for the first time on some baked pork chops, but i think it goes excellent with grilled steak. it's like 95 cents!

i got plenty of limes and cilantro to add to my big vat of rice.

which equals cilantro-lime rice! smelled so fresh and citrusy.

matter fact i had so many limes i decided to make a limeade.  you know, the same thing you do at restaurants sometimes.

juice of two limes, 1 tsp stevia in the raw, 8 oz cold water.  stir!  add more water as needed.

less than 3 weeks left until showtime and my meal planS are all over the place and i LOVE it!  they will keep on changing and rotating until the day of the show.  my trainer is confusing the heck outta my body and it's responding positively.  i've been carb cycling for the last few weeks, and now i'm carb loading.

 which means *drum-roll* more yummy rice and FRUIT!

meal #6 from last night. #inhaled

yesterday i felt strong enough to lift a house.  i don't ever remember feeling so high, so full of energy,  and just plain READY to tackle the weights.   ever.

still workin on that un-flexed bicep lol

i felt and looked physically stronger (to me anyway) and there were veins and muscles i had never seen before popping out everywhere.

  i felt compelled to text my trainer after my workout to tell him how much i was loving my meals and how awesome i was feeling.  he replied with 'carb loading is a beautiful thing!'.

why YES, YES IT IS!

instabreakfast this morning:

what? like all your bowls are chip-free.

i scrambled my eggs this time and added fresh cilantro, garlic & onion powder, and a little lemon pepper seasoning.  topped those banana pancakes with a few shots of 'i can't believe it's not butter' spray and some Walden Farms pancake syrup.  yep, breakfast is STILL my fav meal of the day by far.

what low or no calorie things do you add to your food for better flavor? 

le

le's leg day circuit

man my heart rate was already up as i walked into the gym today!  i got into my fat burning zone right away as i warmed up on the elliptical for about 10 minutes before hitting the weights.

to get the blood flowing in my legs, i did:

leg extensions / leg curls superset -  4 sets of 12-15 reps using med-heavy weight.

next, 4 sets of 12-15 reps of seated leg press with heavy weight.

1st heavy set w/ feet shoulder width apart,

2nd heavier set with feet shoulder width apart

3rd heaviest set with feet shoulder width apart

4th burnout set with light weight (kept going until it buuuuuuuuuuurned) with my feet shaped in a v (heels together).

now for the fun stuff!!!

 i went into my gym's empty group fitness room (take advantage if your gym allows it and there's no class going on) and did the following 3 times each: (burned over 500 cals after all this!)

*****le's leg circuit*****

using 25 lb. dumbbells,

and a step bench w/ 5 risers on each side,

*i mentioned on IG that you can add more risers if you'd like, but i'm super clumsy and went with 5 today.  it was still a nice height, trust me.*

do the following straight through w/ no breaks.

• 1. 20 squats holding the dumbbells in each hand and squeezing your glutes the entire time.
• 2. walking lunges going forward (i used the length of the room, bout 30 ft i guess!?! i'm horrible with estimations), then backwards ( no, don't turn around, stay facing forward but just lunge backwards. do your best to push yourself up back up to standing and maintain that balance.)
• 3. 20 deadlifts (feet shoulder width apart (1st set) narrow stance (2nd set) wide stance (3rd set))
• 4. 20 box jumps onto your bench. drop the dumbbells first please!  be careful and land softly by putting all your weight into your heels.  drop your glutes as low as possible and get into that squat before you jump back down.

 after a round of that, my heart rate was easily over 170 according to my watch!  i walked in two big circles around the room and let my hr drop to around 130 before i started again.

lastly, i finished up legs with 3 sets of 20 reps of jumping lunges.  make sure you drop that back knee down- no slacking.

i said i'd do abs at home (i always say that lol) cause i had to hit the grocery store before i could even get home.  making progress, but i need some separation in my upper abs since i have NONE.  that's my goal for this week.

 1hr of fat burning cardio on the elliptical later, leg day was over.

startin' the week off right!!! have a GREAT evening and try this workout and lemme know what you think!

get lifted

so you're getting your cardio in.  you're slimming down overall.  awesome.  now, you want more definition, a little muscle, and a firmer, flatter tummy.  cardio won't sculpt and reshape your body like pumping iron will.  time to incorporate some weight lifting.  you can totally get your own dumbbells from walmart, academy, sports authority etc., but you can also take a class at your gym:)  i'm a little biased being an instructor and all, but i have to say again how classes are so EXCELLENT for motivation, challenging yourself, accountability, and camaraderie. try one. please.

why you should hit the weights:

 skyrockets your metabolism.  higher metabolism = more calories burned = happy camper.  it's also important to remember that the heavier you lift, the more muscle you gain which equals, yes, more calories burned!  common sense, but if you never add any weight to your bar (especially if you've been taking the same class or doing the same moves for a while) well, what are you doing? what are you really working towards?  you'll risk plateauing and not seeing any changes at all.

reduces your risk of injury, back pain, and arthritis.  muscle is not the only thing weights help build- they help strengthen the ligaments and tendons that support your muscles too.  this means you won't be injured/thrown around as easily when you're playing contact sports, doing every day activities, or fighting.  kidding.  stronger bones reduces, slows, and manages those aches, pains, and diseases.

muscle burns more cals than fat.  the more muscle you have, the more cals you burn all day long even while sitting around doing nothing important.  weights produce 40% more fat loss than cardio alone!  you read that right!  this explains why i feel so much leaner, longer (a couple days) vs. after a cardio session.  you'll start to see some ab action peeking out soon, watch.

produces stronger, longer, leaner muscles while defining, toning, and tightening overall. that nice line running down your thigh is all yours if you want it!  if you want to see change, change your weight.  lifting 2 lb dumbbells is for the birds.  go for the 5's, work your way up to 8's, 10's, 12's, etc. when you start to work harder, THAT'S when you walk by the mirror and give yourself that well deserved double-take!

increases muscular strength and endurance. you'll be physically stronger and better equipped to handle everyday stuff like walking up some stairs without getting winded or your legs feeling like hot jello.  not getting debo'ed by a heavy door.  lifting a 24 pack of water without throwing your back out. finishing your 5k strong and without stopping this time. progress feels GREAT.

your clothes will fit better.  when you no longer need to flex or 'suck it in' in order for a certain body part to be altered or lifted lol, that builds tons of confidence!  not only will your current clothes look better on you, a boost of confidence and self-esteem will make you boldly branch out and try on something you normally wouldn't;)

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**ladies- embrace the weights.  NO, you won't bulk up.  is that excuse still being used anymore anyway?  in order to look like a bodybuilder, you've got to train and eat like one.  i've been teaching my weights class for over 3 years now and hello, i'm no China or Xena.  my class focuses on building lean muscular strength AND endurance, which means we do a high number of reps with med-heavy, challenging weight.  my barbel/dumbbells aren't so heavy that i can only do 8, but i can't do 88 either. the end result? definition city.

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being a Lifetime Fitness instructor has its perks!  i had the pleasure of subbing a barbel strength class for another instructor sunday, and that was cool cause because lululemon was hosting their r&d (research & development) party that afternoon for the lifetime city-centre instructors!!

i went there immediately after class, family in tow.

as i signed up,  the lovely lady in the front excitedly explained that we would be getting a free gift.  the first thought that came to mind was 'it's a headband.' so you know i was THRILLED to hear her say 'free yoga pants!' what!? SHUT CHO MOUTH!!!

 'why can't you just get the free pants and that be it?' because, Sonny... *blank stare + side eye combo*

they had snacks- fruits, mixed nuts, and coconut water.

i appreciate a supportive top.  i have yet to meet a built-in-bra that didn't totally wimp out on me after a few machine washes.  i sometimes double up on sports bras so i can wear the cuter tops and not risk exposing myself mid-jumping jack.  Casi, the lulu rep above in the pink yoga pants, (check out her fit blog too- the recipes look healthy and tasty!) assured me that this one would do the trick.  stylish and supportive. i believed her!

 i tried it out in my class this week and it worked fabulously.  the thick straps really do the trick and most important, it's not UGLY!!

 but back to sunday. enough shopping, time to eat.

so we kept hearing all this commotion and engines revving- apparently there was a car show going on just outside.  i'm not really into that sorta thing, but they were cool to look at.

fun, fun. anyway, let's eat. forreal this time. soooooooo nice to see you again, Ruggles Green!

all natural buffalo burger and house-cut fries for hubs,

and spicy grilled fish tacos on corn tortillas with a side salad and honey mustard dressing for moi.

they put dried blueberries  and jicama in their side salads. it's different and it works.

i ordered the 'famous butternut squash' for my little man.  ooooooh, whatever is in that sweet, crunchy topping i MUST find out.  i shamelessly ate more of it than he did.because a meal isn't complete without dessert.  gotta end on a sweet note.

and plus i had another birthday gift card to empty;)

le