11 weeks out

Just look at her, who wouldn't follow her training advice?!

I am currently just counting down to the completion of the LiveFit Trainer by the lovely Jamie Eason I am loosely following. I believe it is a good structure, with a good diet plan and a decent split for training days. The following is a list of my divergences from the plan:

1. I am not always doing 3x12 reps (mostly applies to Phase 1)
2. While I am eating perfectly clean, I am not following the structure of her outlined diet - I am following my own based on my specific macros. It is a great guide though, when I feel too tired to count every little thing. While her diet plan is generalized, I have just tweaked it to cater to my specific numbers.
3. I combine some days - Shoulders & Abs day gets divided among the other days. I am too busy of an individual to do little sessions multiple times a day. Besides, I have little gas to waste. In the future, I will most likely be dividing my split to reflect varying upper/lower body workouts for the day (for example: one day I train chest/triceps/shoulders/legs, and another i do back/biceps/abs/glutes/more legs). Longer training sessions, but fewer days, and I am still working just as hard.

I also have a few things to celebrate:

1. I got offered donuts this morning at work, and both times I declined without so much as a pang of regret or grief. I was also commended by both people for turning them down. Huh, how weird! But good nonetheless.
2. Every time I hit the gym and lift weights, I feel instantly 10x better and sexier. Perhaps my eyes & ego like to play tricks on me when I'm there, or it must be their awesome lighting (which, I'd like to add, does well to show off what muscles I have so far developed), but I really do feel & look good every time I'm there. Maybe people are looking at me too, but it could be because I am a little girl playing in the "lion's den," the "iron sanctuary" as I know some like to call it.
3. My clean diet, despite the caloric intake increase, is helping my midsection avoid bloat. I can feel my abdominal muscles beneath, and it's not sticking out anymore!

I am still anxious to burn off the body fat though. It is on my mind every day. I gain muscle generously, but my fat is still there (for now). So I also look and feel puffed up from the extra room my muscles are taking up in my body. I feel heavy and definitely filling out my pants in a weird, yet welcomed manner. I keep reminding myself to be patient. I will get to the point where I have to incorporate cardio in my routine again, and I know that day I will love yet dread all the time spent doing so. There will be a day when I can work off the fat, and finally see my hard-earned work on the surface, and feel much more sculpted. Patience is a virtue.. that I keep working hard to have every day. Ugh..

"Patience. Patience, my love."