Oh So Non-Technical!!

Hi Everyone.

Apologies first. I ran into some issues posting the pics because I could not figure out how to get the jpegs from hotmail and upload them to this blog. Who did I ask for help? My teenagers of course! They can do it all when it comes to computer stuff. I stink at it but I am learning.

In this picture you can sort of see that the squishy-ness that was hanging out of the suit at my waist has come down a a lot. Also my butt is getting tighter and at this point I don't have a crease underneath the butt cheek. This is a good thing! My back is good too. Here is where I need work: the calves which are pitiful and my delts need to pop. So I will be focusing on those areas a lot.

Oh! I wanted you to see some of the party shots too. We had the best goodbye party with loads of friends and fun. The pics will tell the story so I won't blather on .....

This is a shot of Rachel (girl in center wearing green dress) and her best girlfriends. You can see a helicopter in the background. Our friends Richard and Marilyn flew in for the party (ooh la la!) and gave folks a ride. Oh that is me in the shorts and white shirt. The plane landed in the meadow behind our house.

Here is the party crowd in the backyard. The camera was pointing down at the partyers. Cocktails were being enjoyed - I think they were Belinis and Cosmopolitans. I wouldn't know since I did not have any.

Here is another group of partyers. Kiersten is the third one on the right. Next to her is "The Boy" who she crushed on this summer. Ahhh, how cute? Fun was being had by all.

And finally here is Kelsey (the girl in the coral colored dress on the right) with her dance pal Shannon. They are getting ready to jump in the helicopter for a ride. They had a blast up there.

Okay now for the boring stuff:

The eating and training:

Breakfast (are you bored yet?)

2/3 cup cooked oatmeal

4 tablespoons ground flax seed

500 ml water with 6 ouonces wheat grass (I get mine frozen in 1 ounce cubes and melt them in the water)

5 egg whites

black coffee

Mid Am:

4 egg whites

1 small apple (I mean really small)

500 ml water

Lunch

Grilled chicken about 6 ounces

1 raw tomato

500 ml water

Mid Pm

1/4 cup brown rice

5 ounces grilled chicken

500 ml water

Dinner

1/2 cup spelt pasta noodles

1/2 cup fresh tomatoes cooked

5 ounces chicken

2 spears steamed broccoli

500 ml water

Here is where my head is at right now: I feel like I had been making progress the last few weeks but this week with my girls leaving and the party and so much stress I have definitely stalled out. I am not seeing the progress of muscle development that I want to see. It is so frustrating because I have not missed a beat with the eating but there are so many demands on my time that I am having trouble getting enough sleep and still meeting all the demands. I really need to focus on myself more over the next three weeks because in exactly three weeks from tonight I will be on a stage doing my contest thing!

So here is to focus - and oh yeah, I nearly forgot I trained cardio, legs, butt, abs and delts splitting the day up into three workouts. Go for the burn!

My love to you all,

Tosca

I Really Want a Latte!

Hi All!

Yesterday I had a latte! I really wanted one and had filmed for my TV show since 6 am. So I did it. I broke down and ordered one and totally enjoyed it. Of course the filming ruined my day regarding regular 6 meal a day contest eating. I was not able to eat enough and so I lost any gains I might have made the day before. Back to square one. Today was better. Even though I had to get up early (5:00 am) to drive to Northern Ontario to pick up my daughter from camp. I boiled one dozen eggs and packed my oatmeal along with some greens.

Today is leg day too. I will be training legs and butt which will be a good hour in the gym. I love these heavy days. The burn is going to kill me but I look forward to it nonetheless.

Kiersten called me from Holland and I was so pumped to hear her voice. She sounds tired but happy and well. Rachel is on her way through Manitoba and I have heard her Moose and Goose stories - still chuckling. In the meantime I am getting Kelsey-Lynn ready for school. We will be driving to Belleville together to install her at her dance school for the last year. Road trip!! Only this time she will be driving and I will be the nervous one beside her.

Here it is! What I ate today:

2/3 cup oatmeal and 2 Tbsp flaxseed
2 Tbsp rice bran oil
5 egg whites
500 ml water with 6 ounces wheat grass (remember this is for reducing pH in the body and for fighting cancer)
black coffee

Mid Morning:
500 ml water
1 very small apple
12 unsalted almonds

Lunch:
2/3 cup ground chicken with choppped tomato (from my own garden) and cilantro
500 ml water

Mid Afternoon:
4 egg whites
1 handful green beans from my own garden
500 ml water
fennel tea, clear

Dinner:
the plan is to have tilapia fish
1/4 cup white rice
steamed vegetables
water

A little later I will post another few shots of me in my posing suit taken just a few days ago. The suit is not bling-bling yet because that will be a surprise but you can see the changes in my physique (hopefully). Look for these pics in a few hours. Comments please!!

Cheers and hugs to you all,
Tosca

Skype, Hype and Dismay all in One Day!

Hello Again!

No I have not forgotten you! Yesterday was crazy!! Another daughter has left the nest. Rachel is on her way across Canada by car. She will be driving with her friend Robyn for the next week an a half. How many more kids are going to leave me? Okay I will get over it! I will get over myself but geez it is hard.

How cool is Skype? It is very cool. Yesterday I was able to communicate with Kiersten in Holland. She called me and I could see via the webcam that she was safely installed in her little dorm room. She picked up her computer and panned around the room so I could see her surroundings. Outside of her room (which is clean as a whistle - Dutch Clean you might say) is a pretty little canal and a courtyard with loads of trees and greenery. It is a stunning spot for her to be for the next few years. I can relax now. But I know for sure I will be Skyping a lot with my two little chickens who have flown the nest!

As for the Hype - well let me share with you that I have a TV show. We are filming a lot and the show is documentary following me as I prepare for contest(s). It gets a little crazy when there is a camera following you around all the time - even as far as the bathroom door. How much fun is that? I will keep you posted and the show is with the W network.

Why the Dismay? Some of you are concerned that my diet postings are sounding too severe. That the way that I am eating is unhealthy. Rest assured I am eating well and often. I am just eating differently. My choices are stricter. I choose to eat this way because I know that every other contestant is eating the same way to prepare for stage. I try to offset the potential unhealthy side to this eating by drinking wheat grass shots at least once a day and sometimes twice. The Eat Clean diet is more of a lifestyle way of eating while what I am doing is really dieting with a purpose. This is short lived and I am doing it to show my readers how hard it really is to prepare for a physique contest.

I have obviously missed a few days with the food blog but I will do my best to hook you up now.

Breakfast yesterday and today:
2/3 cup cooked oatmeal with 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
5 egg whites
500 ml water
500 ml water with 6 ounces wheat grass
black coffee

Mid Morning:
protein shake

Lunch:
2 cups salad greens with 6 ounces grilled chicken
500 ml water
green tea

Mid Afternoon:
1/2 apple
handful unsalted nuts

Dinner:
2/3 cup ground chicken
1/2 cup steamed green beans
1/2 cup steamed asparagus
1/4 cup brown rice
500 ml water

Before Bed:
4 scrambled egg whites

Yes I feel hungry a lot but I am doing this for a purpose and I want to show you all I can do it.

Have a good night!
Tosca Reno

And here it is!

Hi. Just came back from the airport where our family went to say goodbye to Kiersten (my 20 year old daughter) who is going to study in Leiden, The Netherlands for a year. Holland is my where my heritage lies so I am excited for Kiersten to see it through her own eyes. My cousin Leny and her husband are picking Kiersten up from Schiphol and driving her to her little apartment in Leiden - a very old and beautiful university town.

Right now I am not shedding tears but this morning I had to run into the trees behind our house and have a good cry by myself. I was sobbing so hard I did not want to scare anyone. Only the dogs heard me and started barking. Then I stopped and said to myself, "Okay lady, this is one year and you should be happy for your daughter. You can choose to be happy or choose to be sad." And really I am happy for her so I figured I should dry up and show her I am okay. Besides I am sure to visit her as much as poss. So here I am ....

Okay, so the eating has been going well except that with all the emotions I have been craving carbs like mad. And the added stress has accelerated my weight loss. That is what happens to me. I have stopped any extra cardio just for these last few days so I don't lose too much muscle mass.

Eating today has also been sketchy but here goes:

Breakfast at 9:00 am
2/3 cup oatmeal + 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
500 ml water
4 egg whites
black coffee

Lunch 1:30 pm - notice I broke the very important rule of not skipping meals!!
2 cups salad leaves + 5 ounces water packed tuna
fennel tea

Dinner 5:00 pm
(This was our last meal together with all the girls before we headed to the airport)
5 ounces lean bison
1 cup steamed broccoli
1/3 cup brown rice
250 ml water

I may well be hungry tonight but first I have to work out - it is chest and back! Then I will probably have a few egg whites before bed. As you can see I really did not eat enough or frequently enough today. Stress is a bugger. Tomorrow hopefully will go better.

Please send me any stories you may have had about your own goodbyes and how you survived it. I know it is not the end but it makes me feel better to know I am not alone.

Love you all!
tosca

The Goodbye is Coming

Good Evening or Good Morning! I don't know which. It is super late and I can't sleep. I should be exhausted since today was the day of the Big Goodbye Party for my two daughters who are leaving for a long time ... tears here. Rachel is heading off to Portland, Oregon to study naturopathic medicine. She will be away for four years minimum. Her sister Kiersten is going to study in Leiden, The Netherlands for one year. They both leave this week and today was their big send off party. Wellwishers came to say their goodbyes and to enjoy a bounty of fabulous food enjoyed by my new friend/chef, Joanne Lusted and her team. I watched most of the food go by since of course I am dieting for the contest.

Here is what I could have:
Seared tuna with shredded carrot on top
A special order of tilapia done with herbs only
Sweet potato frites
Plenty of water

So I munched on these during the evening and saved the goodbye cake which was really a 5-tiered concoction of scrumptious looking mini cupcakes. I saved three of these for post contest consumption.

Breakfast at 10:00 am
2/3 cup cooked oatmeal with 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
5 scrambled egg whites
2 slices fresh tomato
black coffee
500 ml water

Filming all day so I grabbed 5 egg whites and munched these down at 1:30 pm
Chased with a small raw tomato and 500 ml water

5:00 pm
1 apple
10 unsalted nuts

And dinner was as above.

It was hard to be dieting while everyone was having fun however I reminded myself that it was just for a short while and worth the sacrifice. Hope so!!

No training today as I was already super busy.

Please send lots of well wishes so I can get through the days when my girls leave. I am so proud of them but I know for sure I will miss them like crazy.

Keep it tight!
Tosca

Me and My B4 Pictures

Okay Gang! I have attached my first few shots of me in my first suit fitting. Check out the sausage meat hanging over the sides at the back! Yummy! Not!! This is the trouble spot for old ladies like me who have had children and stress and hormones. I will focus on trimming the fat from these areas. I will also want to harden up my glutes and abs. Keep in mind that the entire body looks better when it is painted with several coats of Pro Tan - which also helps to make the body look slimmer. I look forward to that.

Training - still have to do that although it is late in the day. We have been shooting all day and I am pooped. Don't know where I am going to find the energy but I will have to. Who said this was glamorous??

As for today's eating:

Breakfast at 8:00 am

2/3 cup cooked oatmeal with 2 tablespoons flax seed

500 ml water with 6 ounces wheat grass

4 egg whites

black coffee

MidAm 11:30 am

5 ounces poached salmon

1 cup steamed veggies

2 small potatoes

250 ml water

black coffee

Lunch at 1:30

5 egg whites

1/2 raw red pepper

250 ml water

by the way .... I am feeling totally carb depleted right now!!

Mid Afternoon

1 rice cake with 1 tablespoon natural nut butter

tea

250 ml water with 6 ounces wheat grass

Dinner 7:00pm

roasted sweet potato

steamed green beans

roasted asparagus

beef tenderloin

water

Don't worry! I won't forget to train. I have calves, traps and abs along with some form of cardio.

Q: What are HIITs?

A: I like to do HIIT's which stand for High Intensity Interval Training. I like to mix things up especially when it comes to speed. If I vary the speed at which I do a cardiovascular activity I will burn more calories (read fat). So I will start out a treadmill session with about 5 minutes of warm up at a moderate pace and then begin to break up the rest of the session with 2 minute intervals of alternating sprinting and power walking. Watch the sweat pour out of you now!

Q: Why did you have white rice?

A: I had white rice at the airport because there was no alternative. Same with the rice at home. We ran out and I used what was left in the cupboard. Back to brown tomorrow. I finally had time to do the groceries!!

Alright then, I am signing off until tomorrow! Can I tell you how much I am looking forward to dinner?

Bye now,

tosca

It's an iPod Day

Good Day to You All!!

I have finally graduated to an iPod Nano. I know I sound so non-technified. I guess it is fair to say I am not. I had good times with my iPod shuffle but it was time to get some more gigs since I have been spending so much time on the treadmill. Music really helps.

Back from New York City it is all about getting caught up. Yikes!! My garden is exploding, my emails are overflowing and I have tons of writing to do. Every day I make progress. Slowly!

Here's yesterday's eating:

Breakfast @ 8:30 am
1 cup oatmeal cooked with water, 2 tablespoons each flax and bee pollen
500 ml water
2 black coffees
5 egg whites
4 fish oil supplement capsules

11:00 am
6 ounces chicken
1 raw tomato
water

1:30 pm lunch
6 ounce grilled chicken
1/2 cup steamed green beans
500ml water

3:30 pm
protein smoothie with 30 gms protein

6:45 pm dinner
6 ounces grilled chicken
1/2 cup steamed green beans
1/2 cup white rice
3 slices fresh from my garden yellow tomato
250 ml water

before bed;
6 ounces
500 ml water

Hope this helps all of you. The cuts are starting to come in. I have another suit fitting on Sunday too so I am really motivated to stay sharp and Eat Clean!

My best!
The very hungry Tosca