A talk with a Figure Competitor

I sit next to a girl at work that is the queen of self control when it comes to dieting.  It's amazing.  She just finished a 16 week round of dieting and lost 40 pounds.  One day she came into work and said that she cheated on her diet.... I was shocked.... Then she told me that she had put salsa on her chicken..... Really?  She was really disappointed in her self but I was thinking.... that's really not a big deal.  Salsa is pretty healthy.  Anyway that is just a glimpse into how serious she is.  She also was in a figure competition a while ago.  I've seen the pictures and they are honestly amazing!  It's just so crazy that she did that with her body!  I asked her if she thought it was worth it.  She said it was the hardest thing she has ever done but that it was 100% worth it.  I was pretty psyched when she told me that, but still not totally ready to commit.  Then we had another conversation after she had finished her 16 week diet and we had just gone out to dinner and dessert.  She said that even though she had lost all this weight recently she was so afraid to gain weight and she had not been practicing the same amount of self control anymore.  She said that because of the figure competition she did she knows what her body has the potential to do, even though she lost 40 pounds she still feels fat.  The girl is 21 and weighs about 125 pounds.  She is really fit.  I was not to surprised to hear her say this though.  The prep that it takes to get to your competition is intense.  You will look amazing but you do everything you can to lean out for the day but it's not something that is maintainable.  It was kinda sad to hear her say that she still felt fat when I was thinking... girl I would love to look like you.  But when you think about it.  I've still 40 pounds less then my heaviest weight and I still feel uncomfortable in my own skin.  When I was talking to my friend she was concerned that she was the only one that felt that way.... I think we can all agree that most of us have felt that way at one time or another.  

I think the best game plan for me is going to be to set a few goals in stages.  When a stage is reached a re-evaluation of the next stages goals can be made.  That way I break down my ultimate goal and allow myself to  continue to work in the direction that I feel is best for me dependent on the stage I just reached.  Now it's time to figure out what the my first game plan will be.  

STAGE #1

Get out of the "overweight" BMI range 

How will I do this?

Work with my trainer

Daily food tracking

Work with my nutritionist (Starting in July)

Daily physical activity (a balance of cardio and lifting)   

Home cooking. I want to make more of an effort to cook, not boring, whole, delicious food.

I think this is a simple plan to get my started.  I do most of these things but not with consistency.  To be out of the over weight range I just need to lose 9 pounds.  

Week Uno!

Where to start??

At the beginning of course.  I have not been very disciplined and it's been a year since I was at 123 which was my leanest to date.  Starting off this week I was at 140.6 which is a whooping 17.6 pound gain.  I've got 14 weeks to get to my bikini clad vacation to St. Thomas (Which has really stirred my motivation) I picked out the suit and it is on it's way to my house as we speak. 

I've not committed to being in a body competition... not yet.  The truth is I'm afraid I wont be able to hack it.  My trainer said I could.... I've talked to a few people that have done it and they said it was100% worth it.  But I'm still not ready to fully commit to the idea.  I feel that there are a few things that I want to complete to prove to myself that I can be committed enough to get the job done.

Goal #1:

The weekend, while they can be fun, are not a calorific free for all..... If I did great all week long but let myself pig out on the weekend that equates to 40% of my week blown. My personal mantra is "Never give up when your half way there!"  That mantra has gotten me through many a workouts and it will get me through this.  Get it together girl!  Everything I eat will reward me.  That reward could be a clean and energetic me or a new dipple on my bedunk-adunk.  I get to decide.

Goal#2:

I've changed my work schedule to avoid the time of day I like to call the "Munch-A-Bunch" You know what I'm talking about!  When I get off at 4:30 and get home and don't have anything planned and no one there to witness the Munch-A-Bunch until 7, that is when it hits... I can consume hundreds of calories in this period of time.  I make crazy concoctions to serve my sugar cravings and then have to give in to my salt cravings to balance it out. I just never seem to get full.  This is the time of day when I think I should hit up the gym but that would take to much time and energy so I end up at the store with a package of cookies or a jar of peanut butter.  It's a very scary time of day.  Because I wanted to get off at 4:30 I only had time in the morning to get ready and go.  I've changed my schedule now to get off at 5:30... just an hour difference but that hour gives me time to workout in the morning, pack my lunch, and get to work on-time and unstressed.  It also makes it so I get off work in time for my evening workouts or to run errands but not enough time to sit in front of the TV and wear out the carpet between my couch and my fridge.  Munch-A-Bunch is going down!

This is where I'm starting.  I've already planned out my week and will post it.  I've already been tested as well and have the photo proof! 

More to come

Is it possible?

I'm a normal girl... I've always been curvy and on the softer side.  

But what would it take for a normal girl, like me, to firm up and get lean?

I'm always wondering what a person has to do in order to have visible ab muscles or prance around in a bikini.

It's time to find out.  

It's strange how scared I get just thinking about the disciple it would take in order to get to that point.  All the restaurants I would miss going to, or desserts I would have to skip.  How crazy is that!  I'm actually scared to cut out my junk food.... I think that spells dependency.  

That train of thought alone motivates me to try this.  

While right now today I'm not ready to commit to a body competition, I am working in that direction.

Again another terrifying thought..... Me flouncing around in a BIKINI being judge for how my body looks.

But I'm a strong believer that when you want something to happen for yourself... You do it!

I want to reach my fitness goals and I'm tired of thinking that I can't work hard enough, I can't ever look like the people you see that are really fit because it's just not how you are build.... That is just not true.  I think sometimes in our efforts not to set ourselves up for unreal expectations we shut ourselves down for challenging opportunities.

The trainer I've been working with said today that he really thought that I would be good at this.... I was laughing on the outside but on the inside it sparked something that really wanted to test myself and accomplish something that I had given up on before I even gave myself the time to think about it.

So here goes... I'm going to test myself with this new challenge.  I want to blog about what it is actually going to be like to go from an average, softer, curvy girl to a lean mean fighting machine!  

I think this is by far the scariest challenge I've taken on.  I'm afraid that I would give up, or fail.  I'm afraid that even when I get to my goal I wont look the way that I expected myself too.  

I'M NOT WILLING TO LET THAT FEAR RULE MY DECISIONS IN LIFE!

I want to do something hard to do something amazing.