Linda Cusmano 2009 Off/Pre and ON Season

**Italianangel** · June 1st, 2009, 11:57 AM

Okay so I am 125.4 or .8.....it changes but whatever.....and am around 17% bf..............that suprised me, missing 3 hours or 4 of cardio this week and I still dropped a few lbs and 1% bf.
I have to get to 6%. 11% more to.........by July 25th so 8 weeks left............I think I will get there if not early!
So maybe the rest break was good?
its always such a mind f*&k when competing and I forget something somewhere daily! I have to slow down and think carefully cuz the lack of carbs turns you stupid!
Hey toonces, did you get stupid when you were low carbing??????
I know gg and 6pck can relate........
Linda

**Italianangel** · June 1st, 2009, 01:51 PM

My good friend Mariam just called and we discussed my program design for the coming weeks, she suggested a 6 weeks pump and lean program she has done which she swears will give me the results I need with minimal pain.....she too has back issues which she got from a car accident and went from lifting 5X what i can lift at my best, to lifting more or less what I lift so her suggestions kinda made it okay for me to lift lighter and seeing her results I know it will do me good so here goes, and its a 6 week program, I have 8........that rocks. I was actually shocked with the weights she told me to lift......sticking with like 45/65 lbs loads with barbell and like 10lbs with dbs.....light pump work on cables.......very refreshing, and she is stacked so if she showed size on this, which she used to go to the Natural universe for Figure, then this will be great for me.
Linda

Linda

**Insex** · June 2nd, 2009, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Italianangel

OKay so here is my pastel orchid done on black paper.

Please do keep in mind my art has been put away since teen hood.....I just started back last year and have been slowly re introducing myself to the mediums, some I have never used and I have no formal art education at all........okay now that my excuses are out of the way you can look at my stuff.....hahahahah.
Linda

Linda, I had no idea you could paint such beautiful artwork. Your pastel orchid looks lovely. When I was young, I used to be a naive artist (self-taught). Then I got to an age where school, work, and athletics took up most of the day and I had less spare time and energy to devote to drawing or painting; I'm sure you can relate to what I mean. I used to love to draw with pencil and paper because it required less cleaning and materials. You chose a nice blend of colors for your orchid painting and I think you should keep on painting.

I also like your new ticker for your show. If you're still going to do it, you have roughly about a month left, so train hard! You look good in your most recent photos. I hope all is well and peaceful with you and your family back at home.

**tooncesthecat** · June 2nd, 2009, 07:15 AM

Linda, I did get rather "stupid" at times on the low carb diet.I'd feel less focused and I swear my memory was worse. I feel like it is back to nromal now that I am eating carbs again.

**Italianangel** · June 2nd, 2009, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Insex

Linda, I had no idea you could paint such beautiful artwork. Your pastel orchid looks lovely. When I was young, I used to be a naive artist (self-taught). Then I got to an age where school, work, and athletics took up most of the day and I had less spare time and energy to devote to drawing or painting; I'm sure you can relate to what I mean. I used to love to draw with pencil and paper because it required less cleaning and materials. You chose a nice blend of colors for your orchid painting and I think you should keep on painting.

I also like your new ticker for your show. If you're still going to do it, you have roughly about a month left, so train hard! You look good in your most recent photos. I hope all is well and peaceful with you and your family back at home.

got 8 weeks left, on week 8 now.....and already entered!
Yeah these were oil pastels, the crayon type I got in a set, so I got some special pastel papers to test out including the black, I have not used pastels since single digit age......I paint with acrylics, have oils but still have not done that yet, do water color in paints and pencils.......pencil crayon, charcoal.........
I have like you, let it go on the wayside, I have been subtly directed back into my creativity by the powers that be and needed it.............you should get back into it too, make a day a week where you take an hour or 2 just to sketch.....it will feed your soul trust me.
I forgot how it felt and being older now I appreciate it even more now. I see beauty even more clearly now.
Okay now you got me......
here is an acrylic, its a larger one, kinda mediteranean/european type, I call it the Nona painting, because there is this older lady being nosy watching out in the street like a typical Italian or portuguese women would....on her property, lots of flowers, but a city type one, there are more farmy type settings in europe too.....I chose to go this route as my nona had a similar setting in belgium when they fled Sicily, and ironicaly, the lady looks a lot like my dhs mom..........hahaha. Its a bit childlike but realism is something I strive to learn and master over the next 20 years....I also need to learn expressionist type work, non linear type scatter painting with no particular subject, just spatters of it etc, you know....whats it called???

Linda

**Italianangel** · June 2nd, 2009, 11:35 AM

Down to 16% today, 125lb.
Feeling it too.
I ended up taking yesterday off too……..I was tired and ravenous, I ate oatbran a few times, eggs a few times, a few small granny apples with pb, had a huge burrito bowl - not too bad but for this timing of the diet its a sketchy choice - I listed the contents in a previous post but the worst part is the extra starches in it even so they are all good ones, but I was just not going to stop munching so I had to eat!
Looks like the rest and food was what my body wanted and this mornings stats show it!
I fell asleep forgetting to get pics so maybe later today.

Linda

**Italianangel** · June 2nd, 2009, 11:37 AM

I want to add my ticker to my sig, but not take out the links....but I only get so much space.....I wonder if I can bend someones arm to allow me teh extra digits on my sig to have my ticker on it too, just until my shows are over???????

**lizzyb** · June 2nd, 2009, 09:10 PM

Wow, Linda you're artwork is wonderful!! Don't be shy EVER with your arts.....it's self expression. Nobody can ever judge an expression of self.....it's like feelings.....I feel the same way with my nature photography, it is an expression of self, and as you described about nature and signs.....I am always inspired by the world's natural wonders and am in awe of it all.......

**Italianangel** · June 3rd, 2009, 07:59 PM

So after 4 hours of lost cardio up to yesterday, and only a day or 2 of weights, back at it today, did cardio for 30, routine for 30 and then had an interview and photo shoot for a local news print called Metro News between my clients.
I am 125 and about 16%bf.

Linda

**tooncesthecat** · June 3rd, 2009, 08:45 PM

Nice! Abs looking great. How are you leaning out so quickly?

bluebird · June 3rd, 2009, 10:22 PM

Lovely artworks, Linda. Happy to hear you've taken up the discipline once again. Your colors remind me of the Fauves: Fauvism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
...Andre Derain, more specifically.

The "expressionist type work, non linear type scatter painting with no particular subject" style which you've expressed an interest in is actually part of the expressionist movement, it is called abstract expressionism or action painting. Action painting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'd love to see what you come up with.

**Italianangel** · June 3rd, 2009, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tooncesthecat

Nice! Abs looking great. How are you leaning out so quickly?

I lean easy. and up to a few days ago, an hour cardio daily.......on top of weights while on my diet as listed, although in my posts you see my adjustments made, I have been eating more than is listed yet mostly still clean, when my metabolism kicks into gear I burn like a furnace and it comes off fast and stays off as long as I keep the training and cardio up to maintain it and then I can eat almost normal again with minimal gain............catch.....because I know this I get lazy ass and cocky and end up eating like shit but also off training for weeks at a time so I end up gaining more than I should - again because I know I can get it off easy - I need to balance that.
Classic mesomorph to the T. Oh and my fat burners of choice are cutter foremost and ripped freak also helped me at minimal doses, never used fat burners till last year since PVL is my sponsor but the cutter is not even noticeable but works, I find ripped revs me a bit which is not bad or anything, most people love that and look for that, I like to keep it lower level so I use less and I guess that is due to again my hyper metabolism.
I expect the next set of shots to look much better, especially if I get color.

Linda

**Italianangel** · June 3rd, 2009, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluebird

Lovely artworks, Linda. Happy to hear you've taken up the discipline once again. Your colors remind me of the Fauves: Fauvism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
...Andre Derain, more specifically.

The "expressionist type work, non linear type scatter painting with no particular subject" style which you've expressed an interest in is actually part of the expressionist movement, it is called abstract expressionism or action painting. Action painting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'd love to see what you come up with.

great links, very cool!

**Italianangel** · June 4th, 2009, 10:41 AM

On the Cover of the local paper ~ Linda Cusmano

I am working on a media blitz for summer, here is the first one, cover of Metro News Vancouver....woohoooo, ok, ok, this is the last and 3rd time posting this on the site.........I will chill now.
*teehee
Linda

**wil** · June 4th, 2009, 10:53 AM

Great job Lind...

Hey... didn't I read about this somewhere else?

**lizzyb** · June 4th, 2009, 05:36 PM

Boo-yeah!! Are you ever leaning out quickly.......good stuff! I can't get over how much MORE muscle you've got this year compared to last....OMG!! You lean fast and gain LBM fast.......sooooo lucky, that's just awesome!

**Insex** · June 4th, 2009, 06:24 PM

You're leaning out quite nicely. Keep up the hard work, I think you'll win this show for sure.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Italianangel

Linda

Another beautiful painting. Kind of reminds me of being in Madrid again. You choose good colors with your paintings. I also like your signature too. I just use my initials for my signature along with the year. I might try to get back into drawing again, but like most other things, I've got to find motivation to do it. I remember the last time I tried to draw something, I sort of got "writer's block." I just could think of anything to draw. But I might give it another try this weekend.

**6-Pak Girl** · June 4th, 2009, 11:53 PM

Linda - I had no idea you are an artist. Your paintings are just lovely. Wow. I can't even draw a crooked line correctly! And I love the colors you use.

**Italianangel** · June 6th, 2009, 07:54 PM

update - fricken hungry, had a big bacon classic meal, lg fries....cheese sauce........yesterday
today I had 2 chocolate pop tarts, otherwise right on diet - well dh was sick so I made chicken soup but same diff for my diet, except the little pasta stars are semolina but I am having so little its not a big deal and here is the stats:
weight bouncing from 124-125
body fat bouncing from 14-15%

**Italianangel** · June 6th, 2009, 07:57 PM

not a huge diff in pics really, once I get a bit darker you will be able to see the lines which are not showing here, the delt stris and such, they don't show here.
Linda