Step 1 - Make the decision...

I think that it all starts with making the concious decision...  I never thought I would have found myself here, but, here I am!  It has been 2 years since I purchased my first gym membership and found how much I enjoyed working out.  I met some great people there, which really inspired me and motivated me to keep going.  Rachel and Tiffanie and the fitness group they started Bicep Betties were a great way for me to get comfortable with myself and my confidence in the gym as well as make some great friends that I could share my passion for learning and growing in fitness.  I have appreciated these gals more then I could ever thank them!

As things progressed, I learned about sites like Bodybuilding.com and the availability of fitness programs online and FREE! :)  So, in September of 2011, I took my first ever 'before' pictures and decided to give the newly launched program from Jamie Eason, her 12 week LiveFit trainer a try.  It was then that I learned more about clean eating, and realized the difference that it made.  Prior, I was working out like crazy, but not seeing much difference in my body.  Progress has been slow, but it has still been progress and I am so happy with how far I have come (size 12 (tight) to size 8 (loose) ~ 25lbs lost).  I have done a few rounds of LiveFit, some Kris Gethin Hardcore trainer and recently I completed 10 weeks of James Wilson's Body Earned program.  Weight training has no been a problem for me, but really figuring out how to manipulate nutrition to achieve the goals I wanted, has been difficult to figure out.  I have gone from 1400 calories to 2000 calories, trying to figure out what works and had just been sitting idle for some time.
Then, I saw the amazing transformation of my friend Marisa and watched her compete in Bikini and I was hooked.  I wanted to see just how dedicated I could be, and get myself up on that stage too!  I weighed the differences between bikini and figure and decided I wanted to go for figure.  I have wanted to add more muscle, but have been afraid to do it, without some sort of guidance.  I knew I would need to eat a lot of food, but just wasn't sure how do do it and not gain back the bodyfat I had worked so hard to lose!
That's where the awesome people, Jon and Shawna Buettner of Big Jon Fitness come into play!  I attended one of their informational meetings for those interested in competing and was hooked!  Now, comes the challenge of paying for it and everything else we have going on in our lives (Lias will be college bound next year, Trinity's dance committments, etc.).  Thanks to my awesome husband (Lance), he said to go for it, and we will find a way to make it work.  So, I started on November 3rd with my first training session with Shawna and started my new meal plan on November 5th.  The ease of preparing and shopping for these meals has made my life so much easier!  I even learned to like beans! haha  :)
Since we have some off-season time before the actual contest prep starts, we are going to work on building as much muscle as possible.  My food started around 1900 calories and now I am up to about 2600.  The goal would be around 3000 calories with minimal fat gains until I start prep towards the end of January.  So far, so good.  I was actually losing weight on the 1900 calorie range.  Since the increase to 2600 this last week, I ended up getting sick and for the last 4 days, have only been getting 5 meals in, and so have been short about 300-400 calories because I have literally been sleeping through meals.  I haven't slept as much as I did these last 4 days in a long time, so my body must have needed it.  Feeling much better today, back in the gym this morning and back to getting all 6 meals in.  Training legs with Shawna on Wednesday (which is always a killer workout!).
Now, a goal to set my sights on!  It isn't set in stone, but right now, I am focusing on the Empire Classic NPC Figure class on May 11, 2013 to be the first stage I step on.  I am very excited to have a target date and something to work towards.
So...  here is my journey so far.  Like I said, I am happy with what I have been able to do on my own, now let's see what I can accomplish with the guidance of Jon and Shawna and the support of my awesome family and friends!  Still a long way to go before I am stage ready...  NPC Figure, here I come!

September 2011 - November 2012