#giant veggie contest update

[quibbs126]

Oh okay, so she’s from a family of famous actors, and she learned farming from relatives

Not exactly what I was expecting (I thought she just became an actor on her own), but it’s neat!

Also, does this make her another Cookie with family/parental issues?

[flowerbloom-arts]

I'm so glad this is the kind of guy they decided would be a representative of potatoes in the game, I wouldn't want him to be any other type of guy ever.

[bellatheinkdemon]

More things about the Ovenbreak update!

The new jelly set

I'm pretty sure most Ovenbreak players will get this

And apprantly Popping Candy Cookie is gonna get a super epic costume. Though I'm not sure if it's gonna be in the first or the second part of the update.

EDIT: The costume is coming in June! My bad

[bakersstreetirregulars]

Main Event: Giant Veggie Contest

Duration: 5/29 - 6/26

Chapter 1 Leaderboard Competition: 5/29 - 6/13

Chapter 2 Leaderboard Competition: 6/13 - 6/26

🦴 Ding ding ding! Did you miss me? Yeah, that’s a probably. The name’s Dr. Bones Cookie, and I’m back again to bring you the Giant Veggie Contest!

🥪 Don’t go! We still have healthy food to look at!

🍏 I don’t wanna…!

🦴 We’ll get back to them later. Here are our three main contestants:

🥗 Spinach Cookie and her Giant Spinach

🎯 Beet Cookie and her Giant Beet

🥔 Potato Cookie and his Butter Giant Potato

🦴 Not only are these three our main contestants for our contest, but they’ll ALSO be the main subjects of discussing their farming secrets to help others make healthy vegetables for an improved diet! This is where YOU can experience all of this for yourself, as a live contest between all of you is ongoing until the 13th of June for a heaping helping of Crystals depending on how you do. All you gotta do is get an S Rank on all three of their exhibitions, which gives you an entry into the contest and submits your high scores to the leaderboards for tallying…

Top 1.00%: 1,000 Crystals

Top 5.00%: 900 Crystals

Top 10.00%: 800 Crystals

Top 20.00%: 700 Crystals

Top 30.00%: 600 Crystals

Top 40.00%: 500 Crystals

Top 50.00%: 400 Crystals

Participation Award - Below Top 50.00%: 300 Crystals

Now, as we said before, there are three contestants that we’ll be working with for your own contest. Each one has their own farming secrets and skillset, but there is a constant rulebook that applies to all three of them:

The Rules

Run with each of the three contestants in specially-designed maps.

Each run costs one Event Ticket. You can hold 30 at a time, and they refill at one ticket every 30 minutes. If you want, you can buy more with 1,000 Crystals in case you run out.

Your combi options are locked to the featured Cookie, their Pet, and a pre-selected list of Treasures. If you haven’t unlocked a Cookie or Pet used for this event, you can still run with them at Level 1.

Mentees can’t use anything they borrowed from a Mentor. Invocation Cards are also barred from use (because they flopped in execution for any and all competitive events!)

Each Cookie has their own unique Farming Techniques. Choose from each of them before you run to gain a buff for your run. Some of them have penalties though, so watch out!

Acquiring Techniques requires Farming Power. You start out with 300 for each Cookie, but you can complete various one-time Farming Missions to increase your Power.

Score enough points to get an S Rank and open the next stage. You’ll be working with Spinach first, then Beet, and finally Potato.

Get S Ranks for all three of them to get a Special 10+1 Treasure Invocation, as well as qualify for the Leaderboard and unlock Hard Mode. Hard Mode unlocks a new map for each Cookie, adds more ranks and rewards all the way to L+, and adds new Farming Techniques previously unavailable in Normal Mode.

🦴 Don’t stop there! There’s a whole bunch of Bonus Missions that you can do with any Cookie here, although some require you to work with all three Cookies to do! More’ll get added when Chapter 2 opens in a couple weeks, but you can get a Diamond Sugar Crystal for free if you can do 20 of these missions during this event.

☁️ Wait… I just noticed something.

🦴 What?

☁️ This is the same setup as your last event with the clinic last year!

🦴 Well… ya got me there. You’ll still stick around for the complimentary health screenings, right? You never know what could be lurking in that cloud of yours!

[vegansaurus]

12 Tips for Going Vegan!

Pre-tip tip: visiting sanctuaries like Woodstock Farm Sanctuary is great motivation on your vegan journey!

It’s that time of year again! The beginning of the year, when we welcome curious new vegans into the fold. Are you trying to make The Big Change but unsure of how to get started? I’m here to help! Here are 12 of my personal tips for new vegans. 

This is an update to a post I did in 2011; I’m revising it now based on criticism I’ve heard (thank you!) about how diff people have a diff understanding of what’s “easy.” I feel like some of my tips previously took for granted what’s “easy,” when in truth families and food cultures vary greatly!  Essentially, people have diff pressures! So I’ve tried to be more mindful of that. Plus my previous post was like SPEND ALL THAT MONEY! So tryna be more mindful of different people’s economics as well. 

Before we get this party started, I’ll just say I’m vegan because I want to do as little harm to animals as possible. The environment and health are great reasons to go vegan but I am vegan because of the animals and that’s what my opinions and ideas will reflect. If you want to learn more about which vegan foods are best for the environment or what’s the healthiest way to be vegan, there are lots of great resources. This probably isn’t one of them.

1. Take it one vegan day at a time! When you first become vegan, it can be overwhelming to think of all the foods you’ll “never have again.” When the truth is, you can give up veganism tomorrow and have that hotdog or whatever. Like we won’t talk to you anymore but really you can. Plus, you don’t know what the future holds. Since I wrote this original post, you can now buy vegan eggs, vegan havarti, even vegan pork rinds ffs. You really never know what’s coming down the line. So forget about the rest of your life, just focus on today. How are you going to stay vegan today?

2. Find what works for you! I mean, of course I want to you avoid any non-vegan food or activities but really, if the thing standing between you and veganness is Thanksgiving turkey, EFF IT! Be vegan all the time EXCEPT Thanksgiving turkey! Like of course I care about turkeys but eating vegan 364 days a year is better than never, yahimean? My family is pretty chill about what people want to eat but in other families and cultures, I know food is really important. If you feel like you can’t be vegan because you’ll break your grandmother’s heart at every family occasion, then you figure out what works for you. Maybe you’re only vegan when you cook for yourself. I mean we may pretend otherwise but there are actually no rules. 

3. Take a meal inventory! We often joke about non-vegans saying they could NEVER eat vegan food. We’re like...brah, you never had an apple? In truth, many foods you already eat are vegan or could be easily made vegan. And I read once that people basically have 11 staple meals they rotate between. For me, it’s about three. I like avocado maki, PB and J english muffins, and burritos. So, to start yourself off, think of your staple meals and write down which ones are vegan or could easily be made vegan. You like spaghetti? Add some veggies or meatless meatballs and that’s 1/11 meals right there! Make a list of these things and keep writing them down as you think of them. Once you see all the stuff you CAN eat, instead of just what you can’t, you will feel capable of success!

4. Play the game! You have to have a good attitude if you want to be a happy vegan like me. If you look at like a game, it’s fun to be vegan! It’s all about big problem-solving! When you’re an omnivore, you can eat anything–what kind of game is that? That’s like playing with blocks when we all know Tetris is more fun! When you’re vegan, you’ve got to figure stuff out and find the best way to win. Are you at a super un-vegan restaurant? Hack their menu to find vegan food! On a road trip? Hunt down the best vegan restaurant in the city! Love mac and cheese? Hold your own vegan mac and cheese recipe contest! When you’re vegan, a simple trip to get ice cream is a fun adventure.

5. Stock up! Your best defense from “slip-ups” is to be prepared! That means taking your list from tip 2 and getting those ingredients. You need food for meals and food for snacks. People act bonkers when they are hungry. If you have vegan food around that you like, you won’t be so tempted to fall off the wagon when you are hangry. I know many people can’t go to the store and just throw down for a month’s worth of groceries, but planning ahead at all is actually a great way to save money. And if you need tips on shopping vegan on a budget, there are many great resources online (this article looks thorough and helpful). Generally, meat and cheese substitutes are usually pricey. If you’re on a budget, save them for a treat or skip them entirely. You don’t have to eat those to be vegan or healthy. 

6. Read ingredients! While you’re shopping, make sure you read labels for non-vegan ingredients. Easy cheat: most products now have a bolded part at the bottom of the ingredients that lists any allergens–that includes dairy! If I see dairy in this bolded line, I throw the food back on the shelf; if I don’t see dairy in the allergens, I’ll scan the rest of the ingredients to double-check it’s vegan. You will get the hang of this! It’s not so hard! It’s also pretty exciting when you find something that is accidentally vegan. 

7. Don’t forget about fruit! Fruit RULES. When we think of vegan food, sometimes we think about a bunch of veggies and grains–but don’t forget about fruit! I always have bananas, apples, grapes, and clementines around. Fruit brings back the simple joys of childhood! Fruit makes people happy! Plus, most fruit is good to go. No cooking, no fuss. Easy.

8. Get in the kitchen! If you have the time to cook, any vegan dream can come true! The best way to learn to cook is just to try recipes. I happen to be a fantastical cook and it’s just because I used to hustle threw cookbook after cookbook as a kid. If you already know your way around the kitchen, you have a head start–now you can use new recipes to learn your way around the vegan kitchen! Vegweb has a ton of recipes and really, there are free recipes all over the internet! Even Vegansaurus has recipes! Besides that, there are SO MANY amazing cookbooks. And as soon as you become vegan, all your relatives will probably start giving you vegan cookbooks for every holiday. You’ll be set! 

9. Don’t be so center-centered! Modern food in America often seems so focused on some giant, meaty center of the meal you’re supposed to have. Screw that! Sure, vegan lasagna is great when you can get it, but you don’t need some big main dish to have a meal. Eat some steamed broccoli with some couscous and bean pilaf. Hell, throw in some french fries for good measure! This is 2017, not 1950: you can do whatever you want! You don’t have to be square.

10. Remember why you’re vegan! This is just in case of emergency! Anytime I feel down about being vegan, nothing snaps me out of it more than watching those super-awful undercover factory farm videos. Seriously. Really miss dairy cheese? Watch a baby calf at a dairy farm being held down and punched in the face and see if dairy cheese still seems important. 

11. Find some pals! The internet is great for connecting with other vegans! I was reading Vegansaurus long before I was writing for it and it helped me out a lot when I first got to SF. Most cities have vegan groups to join or blogs where you can meet friends. If there are no vegans near you, you can still find an online community. Try just joining a Facebook group or commenting on vegan pages. There’s power in numbers, and they always have your back. Unless you’re in a fight about what’s the best vegan cheese and then shit can get really real, real fast. Don’t cut the omnis out of your life (besides who are the next vegans if not those same omnis?) but it’s always nice to be able to turn to other vegans when you need a hug. Except me, I’m not into touching strangers!

12. Spread the good word to the non-vegans... ...in the form of baked goods! It can be tempting when you first become vegan to tell all the non-vegans about the cruelties you’ve learned about. I’m not going to stop you but tbh that can leave you a bit isolated. My personal favorite form of vegan persuasion is yummy treats! If you can buy some donuts at the vegan bakery near you for your non-vegan friend’s party, not only will you have a treat but you’ll expose your friends to the yumminess of veganhood. If you can’t afford to splurge, baking at home is cheaper and just as yummy!

Seriously, being vegan is the raddest best. It feels so good to know that you’re not contributing to the torture of poor adorable animals. Now give yourself a hug! Hell, feel yourself up! Because you did it! And you will continue to do it! One vegan day at a time.

[beejuboxes]

Tokyo Treat

$25 – $35 per month

Free worldwide shipping from Tokyo

Tokyo Treat is a monthly Japanese snack subscription box shipped straight from Tokyo. They recently revamped their subscription service, and they now offer two sizes (the Small option is gone). There’s the Classic for $22.50-$25 and the Premium for $31.50-$35. The cheaper prices are for prepaid plans.

The boxes now contain new items and item amounts, increased variety, and a digital zine instead of a printed copy. If you want to read about all the changes to their boxes and website please click here. There is also information for those who currently have a Small monthly or prepaid plan.

The Classic box will now include these 12 full sized items: 4 popular Japanese snacks, 4 sharable packs, 2 dagashi, 1 DIY kit, and 1 kinosei snack. The Premium box includes 17 full sized items: 5 popular snacks, 1 party pack, 4 sharable packs, 3 dagashi, 1 Anime snack, 1 DIY kit, 1 kinosei snack, and 1 Japanese drink. The first box to include these changes will be December. I think the new direction is great, and I’m excited to see the new box!

Whew, lots of good changes! I encourage you to poke around their updated website to learn more.

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The November Premium box doesn’t have the new changes (it starts in December), so I received a physical zine titled “Flavorful Thanksgiving Feast.” The zine, as always, is designed extremely well. There’s content about the box, social media, contests, DIY kit instructions, and Japanese culture. The box was packed perfectly full, with no wasted space. The Premium box always includes a DIY kit and drink!

Pocky Double Fromage

These special Pocky have 3.2x the chocolate than the normal snack. The busicut stick is chocolate, and it’s coated in a thick layer of cheese chocolate. The chocolate almost tastes like cream cheese frosting! These were super good, and very appropriate for November since 11/11 is Pocky Day!

Morinaga Strawberry Ramune

A classic Japanese candy, these little ramune tabs are strawberry flavored. I liked how they melt in your mouth and the bright strawberry flavor. The little bottle is cute too.

Calbee Osatsu Snack

Sweet potatoes are a popular fall flavor here in Japan, so these are a great choice. My husband really liked these puffed snacks! The flavor is light and the chips are very airy.

Dagashi Mix

This is a mix of snacks, kinda like Japan’s “penny candy.” It’s like the nostalgic candy you bought when you were younger because it’s cheap. (I love that Tokyo Treat includes a mix of dagashi and counts it as one snack—other boxes often include dagashi as single items, which I think lowers the value.) Dagashi is always fun, and this month includes an Umaibo Cheese, Cola Gummy, Twisted Marshmallow, Baked Sweet Potato Yokan, and Yakisoba Sauce Snack. My favorite was the Yakisoba snack! It was crunchy with a savory and salty sauce flavor.

Choco Flakes Crisp Balls – Kinako

I’ve had the regular Choco Flakes before, but I’ve never tried the ball shape or kinako flavor. Kinako is roasted soybean power, and it has a toasty, nutty, flavor that’s really grown on me since moving to Japan. These little balls are super good—not too sweet, crunchy, and with a unique flavor. I would buy these again!

Super Light Rice Crackers

These airy crackers are made with rice from Niigata prefecture and flavored with dashi and ginger. These were one of my favorites. They melt in your mouth, but they still have a strong, savory flavor of dashi soy sauce and a little ginger zing. You get a hint of seaweed taste from the dashi too.

Giant Chocolate Snack

This long snack is a peanut and corn puff stick coated in milk chocolate. It was way lighter than I expected. Peanut butter and chocolate is always a great combination, and sometimes difficult to find in Japan! So, I really enjoyed this.

Vending Machine Cola Gummies

These cola gummies come in a tray that looks like a Japanese vending machine! It’s a very cute idea, and it’s fun to peel the gummies out of the tray.

Sapporo Multi-Veggie Snacks

These little potato sticks are made with seven types of vegetables, and have a good crunch to them. They aren’t as greasy as other potato stick/chip snacks, which is nice.

Kirin Chocolate Mint Milk Tea

I was a little nervous to try this drink, since milk tea is still something I’m trying to like! It’s very popular here in Japan. I do really love chocolate mint flavors though, which I think helped me to like this milk tea more than others I’ve tried! I also think this is a great choice as a featured snack, since it is a unique drink.

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DIY Pokemon Sun and Moon Soft Candy Kit

This super cute DIY kit lets you make candy Pokemon! Each kit comes with a mold of 2 Pokemon, which you press soft candy into. (The zine has the instructions in English.)  I got Litten and Pikachu! The strawberry and lemon candy actually taste pretty good, and you can keep and reuse the molds if you’re crafty.

Squid Crackers

These are fried squid crackers with a good crunch. The squid taste isn’t overwhelming, and these would be a good introductory snack for people who aren’t fans of seafood.

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Gudetama Rubber Magnet

This month’s special item is a Gudetama magnet! I love magnets and this lazy egg character, so I was happy to see this item. I got a sliced egg design, and I think he’s saying something like “I’m completely giving up.” (スッパリあきらめよう . . .)

Pretz Mild Roast Flavor

Pretz are a popular Japanese snack, and this type has a mild roast flavor and added calcium. It’s a very mild snack, and I think they might be good dipped in Nutella or peanut butter!

This month’s Tokyo Treat was great! My favorites were the Pokemon DIY kit, Choco Flakes Crisp Balls, and Super Light Rice Crackers.

The selection of snacks feels very balanced, but still exciting. Tokyo Treat has always been one of my favorite Japanese snack boxes, and that still stands. Now that I live in Japan, it’s nice to see a box full of snacks that I would want to send my friends and family. It feels very authentic, and I like that they include cultural information too.

Their variety and quality stand out, using full sized treats and well-known brands. Nothing feels like filler. Plus, the design of their website and zine are cheerful and engaging. The drink included in the Premium box is also a big selling point—I don’t know of any other box that includes a bottled beverage.

If you want to get your own Classic or Premium box, you can do so here. Prices range from $25 – $25 per month, shipped from Tokyo through Japan Post. Shipping is free worldwide. The next box will be December, and they’re teasing that they will include treats from Fanta, Lotte, Kit Kat, and Pokemon brands.

PR sample. All opinions are my own, and no compensation was received for this review. Affiliate links are used.

Tokyo Treat – November 2017 Review Tokyo Treat $25 - $35 per month Free worldwide shipping from Tokyo

[tonyduncanbb73]

Eat Fluff Until You Explode (and More September Food Events)

All the local food and drink events you’ll actually want to attend

Welcome to the Eater Boston event round-up of fun food happenings taking place soon around the Boston area. Updated regularly, this curated guide features a few select events coming up in the weeks ahead, from special dinners and festivals to fundraisers and parties.

Here’s the September roster; stay tuned for an early look at some October events.

Want to submit an event for potential inclusion in this round-up? Emailboston@eater.com.

SEPTEMBER

Saturday, September 9

Kitchen Kibitz at Mamaleh’s What: This brunch pop-up from cousins Annabel Raby and Erica Rotman showcases Iraqi-Jewish dishes, including pickled turnips, fattoush salad, and oven-roasted flatbread. The menu will be available alongside the standard Mamaleh’s menu. Where: 1 Kendall Sq., Kendall Square, Cambridge Details: Reservations can be made online or by calling 617-958-DELI. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sunday, September 10

Create Boston What: Create Boston returns for its sixth year with a giant roster of chefs, bartenders, artists, and musicians coming together for a jam-packed afternoon of dining, drinking, and enjoying art and music. Where: Innovation and Design Center, 1 Design Center Pl., Seaport District, Boston Details: The event takes place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.; the first hour is reserved for VIP ticket holders. Tickets are available online for $55 (regular) and $75 (VIP) before fees.

Tour de Tacos What: Starting in Copley Square, this ride gives cyclists the option to hit three, five, or six restaurants around the area, including Ole, Los Amigos, El Pelon, Chilacates, Tenoch, and Angela’s Cafe. At the end of the tour, everybody will end up at Flat Top Johnny’s in Kendall Square for a beer and a choco taco, plus a vote for the best taco on the route. Where: Copley Square, 560 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston Details: Buy tickets online to pre-pay for tacos along the route.

Tuesday, September 12 - Wednesday, September 13

Dinners With Seamus Mullen

What: New York City-based chef and cookbook author Seamus Mullen (Tertulia, El Colmado) is coming to town to team up with Tony Maws for two dinners, one at the Kirkland Tap & Trotter (September 12, a family-style meal) and one at Craigie on Main (September 13, a six-course dinner). Reservations are required for both events, and tickets include an autographed cookbook from Mullen, his recently released Real Food Heals. Where: The Kirkland Tap & Trotter, 425 Washington St., Somerville; Craigie on Main, 853 Main St., Central Square, Cambridge Details: For reservations for the Tap & Trotter dinner on the 12th, book online; there are two seatings (6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.) $85. For reservations for the Craigie dinner on the 13th, call (617) 497-5511. $115. Beverage pairings available at each dinner.

Friday, September 15 - Sunday, September 17

Greek Fest What: Brookline’s Greek Fest involves three days of food, music, and more. There will be live music performances, DJs, dances, and plenty to eat, including gyros, baklava, and more. A formal menu will be posted on the event website prior to the start. Where: Cathedral Central, 162 Goddard Ave., Brookline Details: Friday from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.

September 17

Littleburg Veggie Burgers at the Flea Market What: Littleburg pops up at the Black Market Flea Market with scratch-made veggie burgers. This is the second area pop-up for Littleburg, which previously appeared at the Local Fare in August. Graham Boswell, who serves as the baker at Somerville’s vegan taco shop Taco Party, runs Littleburg and will also serve small vegetable sides and desserts at the Black Market pop-up. Where: 55 Bishop Allen Dr., Central Square, Cambridge Details: Event runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with $1 entry.

Koji at Commonwealth What: This workshop will teach guests the fundamentals of koji, including how to understand the ingredient, how to make it, and ways to use it in various recipes. Where: 11 Broad Canal Way, Kendall Square, Cambridge Details: Tickets available online for $100. Event runs from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

September 18

Sweet Life What: Benedetto’s pastry chef Renae Connolly will present a five-course dessert tasting menu with beverage pairings. Guests must be 21 or over, and dessert items include gelato and sorbet, chocolate ricotta toast, and compressed watermelon. Where: 1 Bennet St., Harvard Square, Cambridge Details: Tickets are available online for $75 and the event runs from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.

September 20

Cheese and Sake What: The Cheese Shop of Salem presents a selection of cheeses alongside sake in a pairing class under the direction of Gabrielle Morriseau, who serves as the sake sommelier and beverage director of Jamaica Plain’s JP Seafood Cafe. There will be six two-ounce pours of sake plus five cheeses and a sushi roll from Koto Grill & Sushi. Where: 45 Lafayette St., Salem Details: Tickets available online for $60, and the event will take place from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

September 22

Harry Potter Dinner at the Fairmont What: This family-friendly event draws inspiration from the world of Harry Potter. There will be a four-course dinner that includes cocktails and butterbeer (for adults), along with pumpkin juice. Entertainment ranging from house-sorting to cape-making will also take place, and guests are invited to dress the part. Where: Fairmont Copley Plaza, 138 St. James Ave., Back Bay, Boston Details: Tickets available online, event runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

September 22-23

Copenhagen Beer Festival What: More than 45 different breweries from around the world will bring the best of their beers to Downtown Boston for a weekend festival with plenty of samples and live music for entertainment. Several Massachusetts breweries will attend, and beers will rotate with each session. There will also be assorted food vendors on-site, with the specifics set to be announced soon. Where: City Hall Plaza, 1 City Hall Sq., Downtown Boston Details: Tickets available online for all sessions.

September 23

What the Fluff? What: The annual Fluff Festival commemorates 100 years since the invention of Fluff. FluffCentennial in Somerville’s Union Square will feature Fluff-themed games along with live music, snacks, and more. Say hello to Eater Boston editor Rachel Leah Blumenthal as she consumes terrifying amounts of Fluff as one of the cooking contest judges. Where: Union Square, Somerville Details: 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

September 26

East Somerville Food Crawl What: A food crawl around East Somerville brings participants to Aeronaut’s Beer Garden, Maya Sol, and Rincon Mexicano, among plenty of other restaurants along the route. There will be various check-in points and a guide book for the day, with vegetarian options, and dessert at a handful of restaurants. Where: 14-192 Broadway, Somerville Details: Tickets available online. Event runs from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.

[massthetics-blog]

New Post has been published on MASSthetics

New Post has been published on http://massthetics.net/stripping-glutes/

The Road to Nationals - Stripping Glutes

The Road to Nationals – Stripping Glutes

I’m back in the land of delicious espresso, mango kombucha, grimy gyms, fast internet, and I couldn’t be happier.

  #ProjectThighland is officially in the books, I’ve returned to the great lands of ‘Murica and Canadia (at last), and at the time of publishing, I’m sitting at approximately 3.5 weeks out from the big dance. Which means it’s high time for a fresh contest prep update as The Road to Nationals rolls on.

Last week I shared a pithy post giving you a glimpse into where my head is at with this contest prep, and how I feel things have been going. With the 4 week out threshold a few days past, it’s time for a “hard” update with all the dirty details on all the goods.

So lets go.

Training

I’ve just wrapped up the first week of what will be my training setup until peak week hits.

Here’s my current training split:

Day 1 – Legs

Day 2 – Back, Shoulders, Biceps

Day 3 – OFF

Day 4 – Chest & Triceps

Day 5 – Legs

Day 6 – OFF

Day 7 – Back & Biceps

Day 8 – Chest & Shoulders

Day 9 – OFF

…and I’m loving it. After spending 3 weeks in a brutal metabolic phase that was nothing but giant sets, it’s been a breath of fresh air to move back to a classic bodybuilding split

Thanks to falling energy levels, overall volume in each session has come down quite a bit (about 20-22 working sets per session), but the intensity has gone up a bit.

Meaning, each session consists of at least one “fun” intensification technique, and about as wicked of a pump as I can get at this point (pumps become tough to come by as energy levels drop and perma-depletion sets it).

That said, it’s all fun and games whenever I feel my skin stretch so tight it feels as if it’s going to rip.

Nutrition

As I brought up in the #ProjectThighland update, my nutrition over the course of this prep has been wildly different in comparison to last year, and made things much more pleasant.

While calories are obviously quite low, my meals are all planned out to support training sessions as best they can, and I’ve been making a point of eating all of the veggies. Who knew I’d actually start to enjoy salads so much?

All the veggies I’ve been eating has had a few interesting, positive side-effects, as well.

My digestion is holding strong, and not breaking down like it did last year.

I’m having very few issues with bloating or stomach upset.

My skin, hair, and nails are all in excellent condition (last year I started breaking out a lot, my nails started to get brittle, and I was getting psoriasis-like sores on my back and sides of my head).

This year, it’s been the polar-opposite.

Thanks to being roughly 90% ready to step on stage already, I’ve been able to have small refeeds every 5-7 days for the past 4 weeks (give or take). The goal of these structured refeeds is three-fold:

Give my metabolism a small kick to keep pushing fat loss.

Inject a bit of glycogen to push through the higher intensity that this training phase calls for.

A small psychological date from the monotony of meat, veggies, and small amounts of rice.

Under doctor’s coach’s orders, each refeed day has clocked in at 180g protein / 200g carbs / trace fats.

Much more better than cycling between 0-25-50g of carbs for 6 weeks like I did last year.

Cardio

Part of what makes me love the process of stepping on stage so much, is that I actually enjoy my morning cardio sessions on most days.

As it stands right now (and what I’ve been running for the past few weeks), my cardio protocol has been:

4-6 days of fasted steady-state for 40-55 minutes (we’ve kept the “type” the same, but tweaked the volume)

4 sessions of post-workout intervals for 5-8 minutes, followed up with steady-state incline walks for 15 minutes

And that’s all she wrote. It’s been enough to keep the fat melting off, but not leave me feeling destroyed after a few days.

The nearly-nekkeds

Ahh, perhaps the best part of these updates.

The shots below are from my check in yesterday morning:

It’s worth noting – mostly because I’m super excited about it – that I’m currently 11 pounds heavier than when I was on stage last year, and in far better conditioning.

The proof is in the pudding…

Left: 15 days out. Right: 33 days out.

All that remains now is to carry on with stripping the last shreds of fat from my glutes and hamstrings, douse myself in spray tan, and fuel up bagels, jam, and rice.

The final reps

I’ve mentioned this to those who have asked, but I’ve gotta say…

I’m able to count on one hand the amount of days where I’ve truly felt the weight of what contest prep can bring in terms of tanked energy levels, brain fog, and feeling like I’ve got two feet and a bicep in the grave. Which is something I both can’t quite believe (in comparison to last year), and am immensely thankful for.

That’s not to say that training sessions haven’t felt like a drag many days, but being able to function at a relatively “normal” level has been fantastic.

Tomorrow I’m hopping on a plane and heading to Edmonton, Alberta where I’m posting up for the final 3.5 weeks, with nothing on my mind aside from stripping the last bit of fat from my glutes and hamstrings, and tightening up across the board.

And the Road to Nationals rolls on…

PS. 4 out of 5 lifters will let their rationalization hamster run wild. Convincing themselves they’re making progress…yet you build no muscle, and burn no fat. The 5th lifter joined the MASSthetics Clan and put the information within the (free) Hypertrophy Handbook to good use. He no longer has to rationalize his progress. It simply happens. Click here to become the 5th lifter, and let me know where to send the prestigious Hypertrophy Handbook.

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DAMNIT THEY’RE SIBLINGS

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You know, despite me liking the new Ovenbreak update and the story stuff, I am a little disappointed how the two new Cookies kind of have nothing to do with each other

Like yeah, they have completely different backgrounds and stories, but they don’t even interact. The most we have is Potato talking about Shine Muscat. Like, they each barely feature in the other’s stories, only having a line or two. Which sure, for Potato’s maybe I can understand, given she had no real role in the story and maybe they’d be saving her for her own chapter, but I kind of wanted at least some interaction between the two. Like maybe Potato comes over to meet Shine Muscat or just check on the temporary neighbor, since he seems like the kind of guy to do that. Maybe she’s having troubles with something (her talking about her past likely) and Potato invites her in for a chat. I’d take at least a short interaction between the two

And they don’t even feature on each other’s Relationship charts. Like, I remember people talking about how the Yogurca stories and characters didn’t really tie into each other, but they at least are on the other’s Relationship charts. With Potato and Shine Muscat, not even that

I don’t want to sound like I’m mad at the update, I’m not, I like it, but it is a little disappointing how the two have nothing to do with one another

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Butter Pretzel jumpscare

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I was gonna question why these four just have strands for hair, since I thought that was just for babies, but then I remembered that Cookies like Gingerbrave, Hero and Dark Enchantress all have white strand hair too, just in a different style

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Herb Cookie literally traveled across the world for his rosemary

Also Herb Cookie, don’t enchant your plants! That’ll get you disqualified!

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Oh yeah, so someone pointed this out in the video comments, but it seems a reward for the second half of the Story event part of the update is this skin for Shine Muscat

Why is she on the farm? I guess we’ll just have to find out then

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Some looks at new costumes during the update, though the Popping Candy one isn’t until the middle update

That one person guessing Spinach would get her Super Epic costume, you were right

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I just realized these kids’ pillow is just one giant sack

I hope not filled with potatoes, that sounds incredibly uncomfortable. I’d say maybe flour (probably potato starch), but I don’t think sacks of flour would be the most suitable pillow either