Current empties and updates

This past week I was hit with a bad bug, maybe the flu?  I don't know but it knocked me on my butt.  I am finally on the mend.  Food doesn't repulse me and I have some energy again.  Looking forward to getting back to my routine again this week.  I've gone from bulking mode to cutting and have significantly decreased my calories which is awesome.  Bulking was really tough for me mentally.  More on that below.   

I have finished up a lot of supplements lately.  I still start every morning with my Spark from Advocare.  Mandarin Orange has been the flavor I've favored lately.  I finished up another Nerium Youth Factor supplement.  My favorite O2 Gold from Advocare which I just re-ordered.  I've started taking Cinnamon which is a metabolism support.  Nature's Fuel from Nutrishop which is a superfood/greens mix.  It doesn't taste the best but it is better than eating vegetables all day!  Advocare Omegaplex for Omega's and finally Stance ATP and ANX3 for my pre-gym supplements.  Supplements aren't necessary they just supplement a good diet an exercise program.  

Beauty/misc. I finished up 2 Suave dry shampoos.  For three bucks I feel like you just can't beat this dry shampoo.  I finally finished the Peter Thomas Roth pumpkin enzyme mask which I really like using once a week.  From Bath and Body Works I used up a Vanilla Bean Noel lotion.  Love this scent.  I used a Vanilla Snowflake candle which is also my favorite from the winter scents.  I also had a Vanilla Snowflake hand soap.  I finally burned the Happy Birthday Yankee candle from my birthday.  The Nivea lip butter is a must have.  Also a must have is the Maybelline Fit Me concealer.  Another face mask sample I used was the Glam Glo charcoal mask which I really like for breakouts.  I always use the Equate eye cream and have repurchased this bad boy.   I had a small Clinque eye cream which was nice but I just wasn't willing to spend the money on another one right now.  I bought the Body Merry neck cream from Amazon and didn't notice any crazy differences from using it so I probably won't buy this neck cream again.  Then I'm just throwing away a Maybelline Color Tattoo eye cream that has dried out too much to use.

In the past I used to post the price of these items but I currently am just too focused elsewhere to concentrate enough to.  The NPC Midwest fitness competition I'm training for is eight weeks away and it is consuming my thoughts.  For those that don't know, I started this fitness competition journey in August and started off by lean bulking which is an attempt to build muscle with minimal body fat gain.  I put on a good 12-15 pounds depending on the day.  Now I'm cutting weight and I need to shed about 16 pounds in the next eight weeks.  It is a bit overwhelming to have the deadline approaching, a swimsuit that I currently look ridiculous in, and a posing routine to learn on top of it all.  My calories went from 2,700 when bulking (which was pure misery) and slowly dropped back down.  This week I am down another 300 calories which I do fine with other than less energy for the gym.  I would much rather eat way less food than stuff myself like I had to do last year.  Bulking works because you have to be in a caloric surplus to build muscle but it really was a challenge for me.  While I liked building muscle, and didn't mind eating my way through the holidays, purposely eating more than I wanted to was not a mindset I was used to.  Now my challenge is to stay focused on working to shed fat without losing the muscle I put on.  It's amazing how aware I have become of days and time because of this process.  March 31st is only 54 days away!