Good morning!

I am after some chiseled abs! And I am going to get them before my next competition this May!

I asked a female raw-vegan bikini competitor, Erin Moubray (http://www.loving-it-raw.com/erin-moubray.html) on Facebook about her diet and what to do to achieve some chiseled abs like hers on a vegan diet. She told me that for her, eating a very low-fat diet works best. She follows a 80-10-10 raw-vegan diet (i.e., no processed imitation meats; no cooked plants, grains - all raw!). What 80-10-10 means is that 80% of her nutrition is from carbohydrates (mostly fruit!), 10% protein, and 10% from fat.

My diet is very healthy, plant-based and nutrition, but I wouldn't say it's necessarily low in fat. I've been taught to believe that you need at least 20% healthy fats in your diet, but to get more dramatic results I may need to reduce that percentage. Now that I am after my desired results (tight, firm and cut abs!), my diet needs a little tweak. Then, my body will begin burning the extra fat around my tummy (my little love handles will be GONE, but Bret said me he is okay with that ;) and I will get those chiseled abs I've been after all my life!

Nutrition is #1. I'm now on a low-fat diet (just started this weekend, haha)! 10% here were go! No more peanut butter for me --I'm breaking up with it. I'll have less than 1oz. of nuts every other day or every 3rd day, but still rely on my 3-a-day fish-oil caps to give me essential oils. On off days (typically Saturday and/or Sunday) I'll increase my healthy fat intake by adding 1 tbsp. of  flax/chia seeds to my oatmeal. By doing this, I can make sure that I healthy fat intake doesn't go too low and it will allow me to notice any difference in my energy levels and body composition and eat accordingly. Additionally, with a little more intensity in my cardio workouts, primarily, I know I will get them! (Currently I'm doing 2 days/week of 30 minute cardio on an empty stomach first thing in the morning).

Today's workout was 40 minutes of intense shoulders followed by 20 minutes of HIIT cardio (10% incline, 3.3-4.5 intervals). The songs that pumped me up this morning were from Led Zepellin! I love this band! I was feeling so powerful and kept pushing myself at each rep! My cool-down songs were from Coldplay, and as I streched I day-dreamed about my wedding... <3

Okay, no back to my thesis editing!

Love,

Bea