22 weeks into my contest prep!! I am almost there, just 6 weeks to go to the big day. I am feeling much better this week compared to last week due to my cold. I am writing this blog a couple of days early because I have a busy weekend doing other things. I weighed today at 164 lbs. the same as last week but I definitely look leaner, so I think I may be holding a little water. I have realized this contest prep has been by far the best for me in my career thus far. I have dropped the weight at a much slower pace and I feel I have maintained more muscle size than in the past. I have dropped an average of one pound per week compared to 2-3 lbs in the past. By doing this I have kept my muscles much fuller and not so flat. One huge difference this time is in the past I would follow my diet plan exactly as planned. I would eat the same amount day in and day out regardless of how I was feeling or looked. My discipline was hindering my progress. I felt that if I was not following my plan than I would be cheating myself. This time I have learned to listen to my body and really examine how I am looking on a daily basis. I make adjustments based on those two elements. If I am feeling really low on energy then I will not hesitate to increase my carbs and not have fear of not losing weight or gaining weight. If I feel I am looking stringy or flat then I will increase carbs to fill back out. If I am a little water logged than I will just drop my carbs back down to my normal levels and after a day I am back to looking normal. This has really benefited my training by giving me the energy to perform in the gym. Usually by this time my strength levels are poor but I have seemed to keep most of my lifts up. I will continue to keep this plan of doing a daily assessment and then making adjustments as needed. I also have been keeping a training journal to keep track of my workouts so I can continue to improve each and every workout. I keep a log of my food intake as well on my IPOD using the "Lose It" application. It is great because you can tailor your own foods in the application.  It gives you calories, carbs, protein, fats, sodium as well as recipes and a food database. It has worked great for me and it is easy to use. I also have to really give a huge thank you to my wife Jhanna for preparing all of my food which she has prepared perfectly. She has been a big part in my preparation and I love her with all my heart! With 22 weeks down and 6 to go I am even more motivated to see where my body will be on July 18, 2009. I will continue to push forward one day at a time and I will be at my best win or lose! I have posted a couple of pics from Week 22 at 164 lbs. Until my next blog keep training hard and naturally!