Dramatic improvements

I followed Michelle's dietary guidelines today (though I haven't whipped up her strange pancake yet) and I feel MUCH better. The calories are coming at more even intervals and at a pace where I can still have a decent dinner. Yay. I also got a haircut today because I couldn't stand the length anymore, it was soooo long. It's now about 3 inches shorter, however, this isn't the competition cut. That will come in about a month. Another bit of random info...I just booked a hotel room for the night before the competition and the day of the competition. We need to be at the competition site at 7 a.m. the day of the event and staying at the hotel puts me much closer so that I won't need to deal with a long commute. Also, after I get my tan on Fri. night (the night before the competition), there's not much I can do with myself except lay around and try not to mess it up. I wanted the room for Sat., too, because the competition involves a morning pre-judging where the judges narrow it down to something like 5 finalists in each category, but everyone needs to come back in the evening to find out who the 5 are. So there is a big gap in time and I need somewhere to hang out. Where can I go with a goofy looking tan that can rub off? Back to my hotel room.

Here's a diet tip that I'm very excited about and want to pass along. I recently grilled chicken with what's known as a "rub." It's a highly flavorful powder that you pour onto your protein (it could be fish, steak or whatever) then rub it in. And that's it! No waiting time like with a marinade. And it can be very few calories, depending on its composition. It was so easy and incredibly tasty. Maybe I'm the only one who has never tried this, but I'm glad I finally did because it's going to make a big difference for me since my fantastic panko breaded chicken is no longer an option. I'll start sampling a bunch of different rub varieties very soon.