30.6.11

Hello,

Well, I have 5 more weeks to prepare for my physique comp. I am feeling good and can say I have had to slow down the diet a wee bit. I am used to the stringent diet of bodybuilding prep, which requires you to come in extremely lean and ripped, but not for this division. Physique competitors look softer and less defined, fuller in muscle and face, but not jiggling!! This is the part I’m puzzled about. I will need to lose a bit more fat to show some abs and stop the jiggle from the bum side. My guess is that if I come in looking like I usually do, it will be fine. I’ve never nailed the conditioning that bodybuilders like Jo have at comp time.

I have been tanning this year too, which is different for me. I don’t like to get a suntan for fear of wrinkles and cancer, but for this show, I wanted to do my best in all areas. I usually come in too light in color, but with a solid base tan, I will look chocolate brown. Today we even went to the beach which was lovely and relaxing, even watching my son Vaughn eat a yummy ice cream cone.

I had a great photo shoot this week with my friend John Busselle. He has been taking my photos for years now, so we are quite comfortable together. We found a super location in the wine country, with quaint little areas here and there to take photos. I will post some up for you next week, along with a photo of my new favorite shoes !! I hated to take them off today.

Iv enclosed a photo of my breakfast instead..:) not as interesting but very tasty. Egg whites with one whole egg scrambled with mushrooms and tomatoes. I’ve been eating up to 7 meals per day , taking in between 1500 and 1800 cals per day. Once or twice a week I have a 1400 cal day. Carbs are always under 100gms, but on my low cal days, I eat around 45gms in veggies only. This seems to be doing the trick, I also eat plenty of fats with Salmon , olive oil and almonds. I think this has kept my energy up for the long dieting phase. It seems I started cutting my weight and fat since November. I have lost 18 lbs of fat and muscle. I like the new look and I hope to fine tune it in the coming year….

I’m off to have a shoulder workout now. I hope you’re doing well too!

 

Talk soon

 

Lisa

This is my good friend Lisa Taubenheim. I first was introduced to Lisa by internet when she wrote to me about bodybuilding and we corresponded quite abit. When I went to the Arnold the second time she came to meet us and although we didnt have alot of time it was really nice to meet her.. Lisa spoils me.. she sends me the most amazing pressies and she really is very generous and I must get my a into g and do the same.

Lisa is an amazing competitor with huge determination and motivation to improve with every event.
She is in training once again now and I wish her all the best. Im hoping to get to see her again this year sometime and in the meantime we write often but our skype appts have never come to fruition cos of the time difference and us both being so busy. Maybe in our winter aye Lisa.

In the meantime you can contact Lisa on Facebook and have a look at her pics, give her some encouragement and praise and maybe you will make a new friend in the process.

Find Lisa on Facebook

Let me introduce myself to all you nice people here on Jo’s site. My name is Lisa Taubenheim and I have been a fan of Jo since her debut at the Arnold Armature in Columbus Ohio 2008. Let me fill you in on how it all began.

I have been in love with weights since 1980. I was overweight as a child and had no clue as to how to fix it. I come from a family of women who tend to be on the heavy side. We were a family raised on Dairy Farms in Wisconsin and Germany before that. Obviously I come from a hard working family, but we no longer live on Farms.

In the early 80’s, my mom and I went to see a movie called “Pumping Iron , the Women” . A movie featuring women bodybuilders and their journey to the Ms. Olympia in Las Vegas. I can’t tell you how struck I was after watching this film. It changed my life! I was amazed at these women with muscle and I wanted to look just like them.

Well I don’t have to tell you that the images I found to be stunning were about as muscular as Fitness women are today, but it was a goal to aim for.

20 years later, 2 marriages and 1 child later, I entered my first NPC Show in Orange County and I have not looked back! I was helped by a friend named Holly Nicholson who has been a successful bodybuilder with many competitons under her belt. It was Holly who got me interested in Jo. Holly competed in the Arnold a few times, but it was the 2008 Arnold that got me interested in a lightweight dynamo named Jo Stewart. I looked her up online and was completely in Awe! How could someone so petite in stature carry so much muscle, and ripped to shreds to boot? I loved Jo’s feminine look with smaller yet mighty symmetry. I knew then I had to write to her and tell her how amazing she is..

Well Jo is a wonderful lady who not only was kind to me, but helped me prepare for my competition in Las Vegas and encouraged me to enter the Arnold Armature in 2010. What an amazing experience that was, but I was in way over my head in that caliber of bodybuilding competition. I’m here now preparing for something new. A new Women’s Physique Division that is new this year to the Bodybuilding world . The look is a hybrid of figure and Bodybuilding , a Division that I think I was made for me. Not all of us can build physiques like Alina Popa, or Deb Leszewski ( They are magnificent) so the NPC and IFBB have introduced this new division, for girls who want to work hard in the gym, enjoy contest preparation, but carry too much muscle to compete in figure.

Well the next 12 weeks will my journey to the NPC USA in Las Vegas. My starting weight is 142lbs (64.2 kg)

Talk Soon , Train Hard, Eat Clean

Lisa

I promised myself this time around I would take more photos of my preparation. Wow first thing in morning, just out of bed, not so glamorous hehehe!

I have a lot of work to do on this Big girl body of mine.

This week I will have to do more supersets to start burning more calories during my weights. I’m torn between keeping my weights heavy (which I love) or lightening up on the weight and doing more reps. I am always worried I will lose too much muscle in the diet phase, but I must remember I’m trying a new division where they may score against me for too much muscle. I usually don’t feel very big, but these photos have slapped me into reality. ..:)

So I’m off to the gym now for some quads training and Cardio. My mom is here for a visit too, so some fun this afternoon.

Good morning,

I had a good week. My son had his spring break from school, so my training schedule was a bit off. I managed to get into the gym everyday to lift and do a 30 min. Cardio session. I also did my first morning cardio before he woke up! This was different for me. I don’t like to do cardio at 5 in the morning, but I did it.

I am happy with the eating plan I have set for myself this year. I’m eating between 1400-1800 calories per day. I cycle my low carb days. Three days of low carbs 60-80gm then one high day of around 120 gm. On my low carb days, I eat a bit more fat. So far, this is working nicely. I see changes in my body and the scale is slowly moving down. I also eat all my carbs before 4 in the afternoon. This means no carbs after my evening training which I do at 5:30 each day. I do a vigorous cardio session after my weights and this makes me feel a bit sick, so I don’t want to eat much when I get home. I have a meal of chicken and veggies with a lot of water and try to get to bed before I get hungry again…

So no photos of my body this week, I thought a look at my motivation station would be a switch. Enclosed is a photo of me at my desk, where I sit with my cat (kitty) to read my goals and get my head in order each day. I have always believed in affirmations and visual aids to help with my goals. I post then up in a place I must look each day to help program my mind as well as my body. This year with my new streamlined vision, I have a photo of Monica Brant on my computer desk. I think her physique is perfect for the new division as well as Larissa Reis. I know my body type is much different, but I must keep the vision of what I want in my thoughts at all times.

This coming week, I’m back on my usual twice per day in the gym…I love a set schedule.

Until next time

Lisa xo

Good morning,

Today I have 8 weeks left to prepare for the competition. I have 4 weeks to decide on which division I will enter. This morning looking at these attached photos, I’m leaning to Physique Division. I only have photos to compare myself to. There are no other women in my area who compete in muscle events. Kristen competes in Bikini and Milay and Judith are preparing for figure.

I am weighing in at 138lbs, and would like to get to 130lbs, but I would be happy enough at 133. I have started spinning classes a few days per week to help burn more calories. Some days are hard with low energy. I would rather take a nap than workout. But then after a high carb day, I’m ready to go again for a couple more days..:)

The last tool in my bag for lowering my body fat is to cut out Salad oil and I will do this now. I eat Salmon and have a wee bit of Almond butter once per day and I have not yet given up my one egg yolk in the morning. I should perhaps give this up first and leave the oil on my salad for a short time. Hmmmmm….

I have had some great treats that are not edible. I went shopping in Santa Barbara on Monday with my mom, and bought the most gorgeous Kitten heels with zebra on the toe. I have a photo shoot soon and I will share my shoes with you at that time. I love wearing my clothes at this time during contest prep. Everything looks good and fits so nicely it’s hard not to buy too much when I’m out shopping. Oh and I spend money on things I think I need to stay young too! I will have a Botox treatment and some lip filler before the show as well. Dieting is lovely for the body, but hard on my face.

Summer is here and my boys will be home from school so I will have some extra help around which allows me more time for cardio and food preparation. I’m also working on my posing routine with Kristen who is brilliant at choreography. She has a strong dance background and I’m hopeless in this area. I do hope I get to perform on stage at the evening show, I am having so much fun with the routine.

Well I had better go get myself to the gym. The day is slipping by as I sit here at the computer.

Take care and talk soon

Lisa x

Good evening,

Well it has been an interesting few weeks. As with all great accomplishments, there are setbacks. My great accomplishment has been my vision of my bigger hamstrings and glutes. I have spent the last year killing my glutes and hammies and I feel as though they are finally an asset to my physique instead of a weakness. 2 weeks ago while finishing up my hammies with a magnificent set of Stiff Leg Dead Lifts, I hurt my lower back. Wrought with fear of derailing my training, I sought the help of a chiropractor who re-set my 5th lumbar vertebra and has been ordering a lot of electric and ultra sound therapy. I feel much better and can see progress daily. So with that being said, I’m on the mend and still doing well on my diet and looking more like a physique competitor every day! Wait!! I don’t know what a physique competitor looks like yet…. But by this time on Sunday, we will all see the results of the First Women’s Physique division competition in South Carolina. The Jr. USA is this weekend and I’m on pins and needles waiting to see what the judges will come up with. There are 50 or more women signed up for this division, so the judges will no doubt be wishing for some sort of organization. Rumor has it that there is no height or weight class, just all different body types and sizes all lined up on stage. PHEW!! I’m wishing them all good luck…

So 10 weeks out for me on Saturday and I am feeling good regardless of my sore back. I will write more on Sunday after I pre-view the girls who showed at the event and let you know how I feel then.

I hope your all feeling good and training like Jo…J

Back soon

Lisa

Hello,

Well this week marks the 12 week out from competition and as usual I begin to freak out a little when I look at my progress. The scale is not budging and neither is skin caliper (although I only test one site on my body, right hip, right where the bone ends). I must not do this to myself. I start to do crazy stuff like question my diet plan and over analyze my plan. I start to ask everyone I know what they are doing and how they prepare. I do this every time…But I will get my shit together and stay the course which for me is carb cycling and decarbing as I see that I need to. From today on out, my low carb days will not be more than 50grams per day. Every 3 day I will eat up to 100 grams to shock my system into thinking I’m not going to starve it to death. This works the best for me. I have tried oodles of diet methods, Keto being the worst for me. I just don’t have the digestive system for this. Too bad, because I see how it works for so many others. I will just stay with what works for me.

Another thing that always bothers me , and I wish someone could clarify why it happens, I can see I’m getting leaner and my clothes and mirror reflect that I am losing body fat, but the scale does not move…. How can this be? Can you honestly put on lean muscle mass while losing body fat on reduced caloric diet? That has to be it right? Does this happen to everyone? Do tell me if you all have this happen to you as well.

I had my son Vaughn snap a few photos for you this week of my progress.

I’m feeling strong and determined

Talk soon

Lisa xo

Hope everyone enjoyed the Easter Holiday weekend. I have been training hard and been real good on my diet, but I must confess to you now, I had a cheat day!! My Husband Michael and I had the opportunity to go up the coast to Monterey this weekend without our son. My mom was good to watch Vaughn while we had a night out. I don’t know how many of you are familiar with Monterey California, but it’s a lovely place to visit if you get the chance. I didn’t travel with my Ice chest this time, but ate as good as possible with what I had available. I had a lovely Halibut prepared with roasted fennel and artichoke and a few baby potatoes here and there. I also had a glass of wine..:) we stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast right across the street from the beach. Lucky for us, the bay seals were having babies this month and we got to watch the little cuties being born. Not too many things in life as wonderful as babies. No matter what specie they come from, they are pure and unspoiled from the harsh realities of life. All in all, it was a good week for me and I hope for you as well. Back on the yummy contest food that makes me feel like a million….

P.S. I have been thinking shorter hair would look better on my maturing face..hmmmmmm

Take care and talk soon