We’ve all done it. Overcooked the sh*t out of our chicken. After spending the time and money cooking chicken in bulk, what’s a guy/gal to do with all of it? Instead of throwing it all away or eating it plain and dry, I’ve put together a few ways to rev up the chicken.
1) Add Veggies
Vegetables contain a ton of water and added them with chicken will definitely make it easier to go down. Plus, you’ll get all the awesome health benefits of those veggies! My favorites are onions, mushrooms, broccoli, tomato, bell peppers, and lettuce.
2) Veggies + Chicken Broth
Tada! Now you’ve got a chicken soup.
3) Make a greek yogurt dipping sauce
Being Indian, I love raita. It’s easy to make and delicious.
– 1 cup greek yogurt
– 1/2 grated cucumber
– 1/4 cup died red onion
– 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
– cilantro
– Salt to taste
– Chilli powder
4) Add Avocado
The rich, creamy texture of the avocado will help moisten up the chicken.
5) Add salsa and/or hot sauce
Never again will you have to force down or throw away plain, dry chicken!
“I don’t know WHAT to buy when I go grocery shopping!”
“I always RUN OUT of food before I can get to the store again!”
“I don’t know how to COOK!”
“Planning, shopping, and cooking is too COMPLICATED!”
“I don’t even know WHERE to shop at!”
“I just don’t have TIME!”
Some of the many excuses I’ve heard one too many times. I wanted to share how easy and simple it can all be. I made a trip to Trader Joes (find one near you) this past weekend and put together a sample meal plan that requires, wait for it… minimal to NO COOKING!!! Yes, I’m dead serious. Down below you’ll find the meal plan plus a grocery shopping list for a week.
Step 1) Schedule your grocery shopping day and time ahead. I literally make clients open up their schedules and add it in. This works wonders.
Step 2) Buy the things on your list. Nothing more, nothing less. This should take you no more than 20 minutes.
Step 3) Eat according to your meal plan.
Step 4) Fight the urge to walk around naked because you look so damn good!!!
Disclaimer: I am not including serving sizes, because it’s going to vary drastically from person to person. There was such a huge variety of food at TJs, that I couldn’t even come close to including everything that I found. I’m not advocating to eat processed or frozen food, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do!
Meal 1: Whole Eggs + Egg Whites + Oatmeal
Wow, already made and peeled whole eggs! For the egg whites, just throw away the yolk and eat the whites.
Sorry guys, some assembly required for this. Must add hot water to oats. Life is hard, deal with it.
Prep time: 2-4 minutes
Meal 2: Cottage Cheese
Such a great snack while at work. It’s easy, filling, and packed with protein.
Prep time: 30 seconds.
Meal 3: Chicken Breast + Avocado + Brown Rice Tortilla
In this one that I made, I added chipotle hot sauce and mustard to it. Both are great condiments to add without adding any additional macros!
Prep Time: 2-4 minutes
Meal 4: Tuna + Lentils
These cans are so easy to transport! Plus you can stock up on them and not need to worry about them going bad. Make sure that you get the tuna in WATER.
Prep Time: 1 minute
Meal 5: Beef Sirloin + Roasted Potatoes + Green Veggies
This is a great dinner. Hopefully you’ll be having this at home so you can bake the potatoes and cook the greens, but you can easily cook and pack this meal ahead of time. It’s delicious!
I love, love, LOVE this meal. It is such an amazing dessert. I’m not going to lie, I can put down a pint of ice cream in minutes (Häagen Dazs Caramel Cone if you must know!), but this little treat always kills my late night sweet tooth!
TIP: It’s easy to over eat nuts since they are so tasty. Get the almonds that are already portioned out into 1 serving.
TIP: Get the brand FAGE! It has way more protein than any other brand I found at Trader Joe’s. Yes, this matters. Also, get the pre-portioned out cups.
Prep time: 1 minute
I left out the berries last night. Check out the video!
Grocery Shopping List:
-Bag of Eggs
– Packets of Oatmeal
– Cottage Cheese
– Cooked and Sliced Chicken Breast
– Avocados
– Brown Rice Tortillas
– Cans of Tuna in Water
– Cooked Lentils
– Beef Sirloin
– Frozen Potatoes
– Frozen Greens (Kale, Spinach, Brussel Sprouts, Broccoli, etc)
– Fage Greek Yogurt
– Frozen Berries
– Packets of Almonds
Now that you know WHAT to buy, WHERE to buy it, don’t have to COOK, know it’s SIMPLE, and have scheduled WHEN to buy groceries, what’s your excuse?
Since I’ve been working out my legs so frequently for the past 4 weeks, I thought I’d post a video of some different leg and glute exercises I’ve been incorporating into my workouts. Yes, I usually always include heavy barbell squats, legs press, hamstring curls, quad extensions, deadlifts, and other typical bodybuilder leg exercises weekly, but adding in a variety of exercises spices up your workout and hits the legs and booty and different angles!
1) Smith Machine Alternating Deficit Lunge
2) Step up into Curtsy Lunge
3) Super Deep Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift
4) Glute Kickback on the Lying Hamstring Curl
5) Cable Glute Kickback with Knee on Bench
6) Abduction- 2 variations (leaning forward and leaning back)
Follow me on Instagram for more photos and videos: SKSAHNI
If you’re anything like me, you want immediate results. Your thought process is something like this, “I’ve been hitting my glutes harder for the past 2 weeks, my butt MUST be huge by now…” or “I’ve increased my cardio this past week. Do I have abs now?”
The body takes quite a bit of time to change and here is where progress photos come in. Honestly, I hardly ever track my body fat and only check my weight once a week to report it to my coach. Other than that, I go off of my photos. Why? Because we all want to look good naked and photos show way more than the scale or your body fat!
I have been taking weekly photos for the past 3 solid years and the change is incredible. My weight has ranged from 103 lbs-130 lbs and my body fat has ranged from 12% to something around 28%.
Left: When I decided to start losing weight 3 years ago. 125 lbs.
Center: 6 months after left photo. I was doing a ton of cardio and not eating a whole lot. I had no idea what I was doing with my diet or the way my workouts were structured. I clearly burned through a good amount of fat and muscle. So sad. 103 lbs.
Right: Right when I started my prep for the second show. 2 years after the center photo. 128 lbs.
Left: A few days before my competition. 120 lbs.
Right: 10 weeks into my off season. 125 lbs.
Left: The thinnest I’ve been at 103 lbs
Right: A few days before my show: 120 lbs
Left: The thinnest I’ve been.
Right: Me on stage in November 2013
Left: A year ago
Right: Last week
There is so much progress that the scale and numbers won’t show! I highly recommend taking weekly photos. They are such a great reference for how far you’ve come. Whenever I feel discouraged or unmotivated, I look through my photos. And the best part about it… I can’t wait to look back in a year from now and see even more change!!!!
Follow me on Instagram for more progress photos: SKSAHNI
I’m about 11 weeks into my offseason and had really been feeling lost. There were a few things contributing to this and since I was tired of not taking action, last week I made some help changes. I thought I’d openly discuss the issues and how I went about fixing them in hopes that this can help other competitors and/or individuals trying to make healthier life choices.
ISSUE 1: I am eating way too many cheat meals! Yes, I said it. No, I can’t stay lean if I’m eating bowls of granola and chocolate chips every single night. More than anything, I just feel gross afterwards and it isn’t worth it.
HOW TO FIX: I am going to allow myself 2 weekly cheat meals. Wednesdays and Sundays.
ISSUE 2: My workouts are so scattered and unplanned!
HOW TO FIX: I have set a brand new workout schedule based on what body parts need improvement. Here it is:
Monday: Shoulders/Triceps/Calves
Tuesday: Glutes (rep range 6-10)
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Back/Biceps/Calves
Friday: Legs (rep range 15-20)
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Glutes and Hamstrings (rep range 10-15)
ISSUE 3: I basically only do cardio when I feel like it. I’m getting way too lazy.
HOW TO FIX: I promised myself that I have to do 2 sessions of HIIT and 2 sessions of steady state cardio. I can decide which days to do them on, but 4 sessions need to happen each week until my coach tells me to reduce it.
ISSUE 4: I’ve been eating the same foods over and over. I’m bored, and because of this I sometimes skip meals or eat off my diet.
HOW TO FIX: I have revamped my diet! I have switched up my protein, carb, and fat sources. I am eating a variety of vegetables and have also found new ways to cook my food. A little bit of imagination will go a long way.
These few changes within the past week have helped me tremendously! I actually feel like I have a solid plan in place to stay on track during the offseason in order to make gains and stay in shape.
You worked your butt off dieting down, doing cardio daily, lifting like there’s no tomorrow, and looked phenomenal on stage. After the high of competing, now what?!
Step 1: Contact the Judges
Whether you won the overall or placed dead last, there is always room for improvement. I found it very useful to contact the judges and ask exactly how I can come in better and what it’ll take to win.
Make sure you send in photos of yourself in different poses. Email the promoter of the show and ask him/her for feedback and to forward your email to every judge. You can find the promoters email address on the NPC News Online website.
Sample email:
John,
I had such a wonderful time competing at your show last weekend. I wanted to know if I could please get feedback from you and all the judges on what I can improve on (conditioning, symmetry, posing, hair, makeup, etc.) I am attaching a few photos of myself. Thank you very much, looking forward to hearing from you and competing at your next show.
Regards,
Sumeet Sahni
Open Bikini Class C (4th place, #254)
Step 2: Set Your New Goal(s)
Now, using the information you’ve gathered from judges and what look you noticed they were leaning towards at the competition, you can make a goal.
After my first show, my goal was to put mass everywhere and work on my posing. After my last show, my goal is to put mass on my calves, not to put anymore mass on my upper body, only pose with legs crossed, and to make sure I don’t come in overly conditioned (too lean).
Step 3: Determine Your New Diet
It’s really important to make a transition diet plan for post competition BEFORE you even compete. The last thing you want is to be bingeing and have no structured diet after your show.
I gave myself a week post show to have a few cheat meals and then got on my off season diet.
Your off season diet should be based on what your new goal(s) are.
Step 4: Plan Out Your Cardio
What will your offseason cardio look like? What will the frequency, duration, and intensity be?
Personally, I like to do about 3-4 sessions of HIIT a week.
Step 5: Prepare For Your Physique To Change
This is the hardest thing for me to come to terms with. After having ripped, veiny abs for 5 months, they have disappeared! Be mentally prepared for your body to change fairly quickly post show.
My weight usually goes up 3-5 pounds within the first month of off season and from then on I usually slowly gain weight, if my goal is to put on muscle, until it’s time to diet down for a show. If my body fat gets too high, I go on a mini diet during my offseason.
Making a post show plan for yourself will make your transition into the offseason mentally, physically, and emotionally easier! Make sure your off season plan is well thought out and productive.
This past competition season, I’ve placed the best and worst ever. After coming off my win in my first competition in October (18 competitors), I felt amazing! It was so good to know that my hard work and vision for what a bikini competitor should look like was in line with the judges.
I went on to compete in November and came in 4th in Novice Bikini (30+ competitors) and 9th place in Open Bikini (35+ competitors).
Woah, wtf happened?! Then crept in the negativity. Maybe I don’t have the right look. Maybe I need to compete as a figure competitor. Do I even want to continue competing then? Did I not do enough cardio? I’ll be honest, after prejudging, I didn’t even want to go to the night show! Yes, I’m dead serious.
I knew that I would be able to find the positive in this situation, but in the moment I was so unhappy and couldn’t get myself to be ok with the uncontrollable. I felt stuck in my negative self-talk. All I wanted to do was eat a cheeseburger and hide forever.
Here’s the thing, after exactly 1 month since my second show, I’ve realized that competing is so subjective. There are professional bikini competitors that are on the more muscular side and pros that are more on the thin side. Competitors that got their pro card in their 2nd show, and competitors that after competing for years won their pro card. Natalie Melo went from Ms. Bikini Olympia to 4th place! Judges are always changing and what they are looking for is probably also changing too. Through the ups and downs of competing one thing HAS to stay constant. You better absolutely love the way you look and the package you bring to the stage every show.
I was way more positive during the prep for the first show. I was focused, determined, and happy! I’m not sure what exactly happened for the second show, but I started feeling run down, exhausted, and negative. Also, my coach and I decided to present a different look to the stage. I came in a little softer and really didn’t like the physique I was bringing to the second show. Now, I don’t know if I’d place better, the same, or worst if I came in drier and tighter, but I know I would’ve liked the way I looked onstage better, which would in turn show during my presentation.
At the end of the day, when you are alone with your thoughts and falling asleep, if you are not happy with yourself, what good is first place? And what if you came in last but loved the way you looked, learned so much, are in love with the sport, and can’t wait to compete again? I’d call the latter the true winner.
I learned that I am more than my placing. I can’t let the placing written on a trophy define me as a person. 1st or 9th. Instead, I focus on the things I can control (working hard everyday, helping others better themselves, sharing my journey, and finding the positive in every situation, even if it means digging really, really deep within). Crazy things start to happen when you’re positive. Goals become clearer, sticking to a diet gets easier, you look better, and you attract more positivity. At that point, winning just becomes the icing on the cake!
So, it’s not even close to the time of your next meal, but your hunger is rising! You can’t stop thinking about the chunky almond butter sitting in your fridge, the warm, filling oatmeal waiting for you in your pantry, the bbq flank steak dripping fresh off the grill… but there’s no way in hell you’re going to cheat or eat your meal early, because then your meals will be done at 7pm. You’ll be so screwed. What’s a dieter to do?
1) Coffee
This is always my go to before 6pm. I love a strong americano or freshly brewed drip. Yumm! It’s crazy how fast coffee kills my appetite.
2) Tea
Whenever I’m craving something sweet, I turn to Tazo’s delicious Blueberry Blossom. I add a packet of Splenda to it. Always hits the spot!
3) Water
I personally flavor my water with Crystal Light. I find that I can drink more and drink it faster. Win win situation!
Also, you can make popsicles using Crystal Light. These are great for hot summer days.
4) Brush your teeth and rinse with mouthwash
Wow, this works great! Plus you’ll have a super fresh, clean mouth
5) Get Busy
Many times, I find that I get the most hungry when I’m bored. So, do you have laundry to do? Call your mom, that’ll kill a good 30 minutes. Look through your progress photos and see how far you’ve come. Or even just surf through the rest of my blog! Don’t just sit around and think about how hungry you are, I promise, the hunger will just increase.
6) Chew Gum
This prep I haven’t been chewing a lot of gum. I found that it actually makes me hungrier and would sometimes make me bloated. For my first prep I was hooked. It helped me get through some rough days. Especially the dessert gums that are out.
7) Take a Nap
There are so many times that I get hungry when I am tired. Since you can’t fuel your body with food, re-energize yourself with a nap. Even if it’s just 20 minutes. You’ll wake up feeling better and it might almost be meal time!
8) Smell Something Delicious
Now, this might sound crazy, but smell is SO important to taste. On my way to work I always pass by a donut shop. Every time I stop right outside of it, close my eyes, and take a good 5 deep, long inhales. I can taste every part of that perfect, freshly made Old Fashioned Chocolate Donut. I’ve also done this with Nutella. I literally open the jar and shove my nose into it. It works wonders!
Next time your craving something, smell it.
9) Add Fiber To Your Meals
Fiber helps fill you up and keeps you satiated. I turn green veggies: asparagus, broccoli, kale, chard, spinach, etc. I always add one of these to every meal of mine.
10) Blog!
YES!!! I’ve killed about 45 minutes writing this, so guess what?! It’s time for meal #5!!!!
Two Beginners Journeys Through Contest Prep 