Competitor Blog: Bread like things - a review

I am an amazingly lazy cook. I love eating but I hate cooking. I think it’s a chore from the devil. How can something so awful and labor intensive be required several times a day?! I wish that I enjoyed it but I just don’t.

I love sandwiches because I am busy person. I don’t want to have to slow down and bust out a full service of silverware at every meal. I also hate washing all those dishes. Unfortunately, sandwiches typically require bread and therefore carbs. Don’t try and tell me to wrap it in lettuce; those suggestions will get you punched. Recently I found these little foldy sandwich thin things, FoldIts. It’s made by FlatOut which has a couple things I have tried and been very happy with. I selected the Ancient Grains variety as it had the most protein, sitting at 10g per serving (3 fat and 17 carb). The bread is the right balance between fluffy and the good kind of chewy. It doesn’t taste grainy or like dirt. I think I like these better than typical sandwiches because they keep my hands even cleaner since there is a folded edge! I like these better than wraps because they give more bread like substance.

One of the other items I have tried is called Artisan Pizza Crust by FlatOut. It’s an incredibly thin crust that cooks remarkably fast. I have made BBQ chicken pizza and buffalo pizza on these. It takes less than 10 minutes to get a meal completed. I think I spend more time weighing my ingredients than baking the pizza. The rosemary and olive oil one is my favorite and has 6g protein, 25g carbs, and 1g of fat. This is similar carbs to a slice of bread but it has a much larger surface area and you can really spread your protein toppings out over the top. Since this is so thin the crust does tend to get a little floppy but the edges will crisp up nicely.

The thing about IIFYM that I love is the flexibility to still eat things that I want to eat. Any diet out there that forbids certain things is sure to set you up for failure. Does this mean I get to eat whatever I want whenever? No. But it leaves me the choice to make the decision (and sometimes sacrifices) for things that I really want to eat. What tricks have you figured out to get the things you enjoy back onto your plate?

Competitor Blog: Practice Posture

When I first starting posing I would get scolded for looking down. Sand, my posing coach, would ask me what I was looking for on the ground. When you walk on stage you want to have your head up and look the judges right in the eye with a look that says “this is my stage and I am the best thing on it”. You can’t do that with a rounded shoulders and eyes averted.

Over time, I think a lot of women learn this unconscious habit of casting their eyes downwards and slumping forward. It’s as simple as avoiding dealing with other human beings or appearing “too inviting”. If you don’t make eye contact you don’t give another person a chance to try to grab your attention and interact with you. Slumped over you try to make yourself look less noticeable and unassuming. A lot of people will accuse you of “sticking your boobs out” simply from having your shoulders back. If you have ever had to fend off a person’s unwanted and over-zealous attempts at wooing, you totally understand. If you have yet to experience this yet in life, I envy you. 

I also would be scolded for walking like a lumberjack. I can’t help it! I have places to go and no time for a sassy little sashay. But when you step on the stage that is EXACTLY what they want. You can’t stomp out to your spot on the stage, rigidly do your turns and stomp off. Well, you can but it won’t place you very well.

I practice my “girl walk” up and down the straight stretch of hall at my work. It’s relatively low traveled and it’s nice and long. Here I practice how the “girl walk” feels and try very hard not to overthink it. It’s a gentle sway, almost drop of the hip. It is a weird thing to try and explain and I imagine everyone feels it a little different. Once you start focusing too hard on the walk you will lose it.

So I started to make the effort to improve my posture and exude self confidence. Throughout the day I try to correct my posture. I do stretches to help loosen up the front muscles that have been shortened from years of crap posture. I do exercises to fire the back muscles that help pull the shoulders back. When I walk down the street I send mental feelers out to my body; are my shoulders back and posture decent? Do I have my head up? When I am at the gym walking through the floor I give myself a little pep talk “Are they looking at you? Damn right they are looking at you! You own this place. You are the winner of this day and you keep that tiara up high!” It sounds ridiculous but it does really help get you in the brain space you want to be in when you step on stage.

By working in these little bits into my day I am practicing portions of my posing. It is important that you practice posing until it is automatic. That way if your brain tries to freeze come show time your muscle memory will show you the way. If you are not practicing for a show practice for life. Fix that posture!

Competitor Blog: Finding Satisfaction

I was designed to eat. When people say “Oh, I forgot to eat!” I am immediately appalled. My whole life can be summed up by moments of being awake counting down the moments until I get to eat or sleep. I am essentially a sloth trapped in a human’s body!

This can make cutting macros a bit of a challenge. There are many times I find that I still desire to eat more. Please note that I am usually no longer “hungry” or feeling hunger. I just enjoy the eating process; chewing, tasting, and feeling the warm hug of carbs in my belly. Since eating my weight in food is not an option I have picked up a few tricks to help tide me over. 

Water never does the whole “fill up the space and feel full” trick. I like my water icey cold and I will drink a lot of it but all it does is make me and my belly cold. It is flavorless and does little to appease my demanding taste buds. Coffee however fills me up quite nicely. It’s warm and I can get it flavored without extra calories/macros. If I am feeling really generous I can doctor it up with some sugar free creamer (tracked of course) or some sugar free flavored syrup. The flavored syrup is my new thing for home. A little can really go a long way! I use ½ a tablespoon and it is plenty. Coffee works better than tea for the full feeling. I am not sure why but I try not to look a gift horse too hard in the mouth. I did not drink coffee before but now that I have started it is a nice routine. I even have decaf because sometimes I feel the need to “snack” at night time and this can help if I am feeling desperate. 

Keep busy. It is easier to do physical busy activities on the weekend. Often you won’t notice that you are feeling a little hungry if you are up trying to get a chore done. Even if you do think “hmmm I could eat” you are usually so into your project you can put it off until the next appropriate food time. The important thing is to make sure you stop and eat at regular intervals. Otherwise, you may find yourself ravenous and falling headlong into poor food choices.

I am a soda drinker. I like the fizzy bubbles and the sweetness. Try making your own Italian soda’s. Using the sugar free syrup and club soda I can make myself a sparkly beverage to help cut the sweet tooth. It’s different from the La Croix flavored waters which are OK but a little bland. It really can help shake up the monotony of water and it feels like you are having a treat.

So tell me, do you have any tricks that you use to help pacify your consumption cravings?