I Want to Look Like Ah-nold

This weekend I was able to go check out the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus and let me tell you, so cool! Watching fellow Crossfitters throw down some awesomeness in competition, walking around all the different vendors, and just seeing all the bodies of people much further along than me but going through the same prep. It was eye opening and oh so cool. Even saw a couple suits I liked! Which also freaked me out because those bottoms - oh my goodness. 

(Thinking emerald green, obvi)

When I started this journey I looked at a lot of photos. Photos of people in the process, photos of suits, photos of the type of girls I may compete against. And while that's all fine and dandy, seeing a girl and being like "so I may look like her after all this". It takes a lot - A LOT - to get there. A lot of will power, time, dedication. And recently I started struggling with all the things I can't have in order to get there.

I just need something zero calorie, zero carb, zero sugar, packed with protein and that tastes like a chocolate chip cookie. That's a thing right? Its out there, I just haven't found it yet? No. It doesn't exist. But that's just it, it's not that I can never ever again have a cookie, or mac-n-cheese, or pizza - I just can't have it for the next 10 weeks.

The world isn't over.

And after walking around the Arnold and seeing girls (the ones who still look like girls) who are competitors, who are what I want to be - it gave me a refresh. So instead of looking at it as what I can't have, I needed to change my mind set. 

"I get to have this in 10 weeks"

Because at the end of the day I want to walk across the stage knowing I did all I could. I don't want to have any regrets, especially over food. 

I'm a very visual person and have put a post it or two around the kitchen very similar to the photo on the right. So, I've started a list, a visual picture list to hang on the fridge next to the girls I want to look like. I know some of you may this I'm crazy, and truthfully I probably am. But this way I can easily remind myself, "I get to have this in 10 weeks, but first I get to look like this." 

Obviously I have a long way to go before I look like Ah-nold...maybe I just need different lighting. Or a better filter?