I have an amazing blog interview for you - if I do say so myself. I pride myself in asking the hard questions - not ones designed to prop up federations or sell supplements, I have no interest in that. I just want honest answers to the questions I want to know about. So here they are;

Part 1;

·         First Competition Season vs Second

·         Weight Gain Post Comp ..... Fuelled by Clean Eating ...shock/horror/gasp

·         A New Direction

·         The Dangers of Social Media 

Candice - IFBB Nationals/Amateur Olympia - 3rd Place Figure Novice Tall 

We know you just competed at the IFBB Competition in Qld two weeks ago – and you placed 3^rd which is fantastic – but let’s start at the start. I happen to know you had another competition season that didn’t end optimally. Tell us all about that.

My last prep was actually quite good, it was the aftermath that was the issue! My first prep (might be what you are referring to) was awful. I had a 'coach' who was a famous fitness model and is/was quite well known and had a cookie cutter food and exercise plan (unbeknownst to me, it was the exact same one she gave ALL of her competitors regardless of body composition etc). Needless to say, I wasn't lean enough. I did win that comp (fitness model INBA NT) however I think that was in large due to my stage presence. I jumped straight into another prep under a wonderful coach and got the conditioning I was after, but didn't place that time. 

The aftermath from that was a 17kg weight gain. Yep, 17kg. I ate, and ate and ate some more for good measure. 

With all of that in mind, why on earth did you decide to compete again?

Long story short - because I adore this sport. I really, really do. I love pushing myself, I love the dedication and commitment but most of all I love the people that this sport attracts. I love being surrounded by driven, strong, passionate people and this sport is full of them! I've often felt that I didn't fit in anywhere, but I've definitely found my niche now. 

Candice - Darwin INBA 2013 - 1st Place

Your first season was 2013 and you have only just competed again now in late 2015 – why the long wait?

Well...I've always wanted to be a figure girl. I needed to put on size, especially in my arms as they are overpowered by my lower body. Also, I wanted to make sure that when I started prepping I wasn't doing it purely to 'lose weight' and get lean. I wanted to make sure first that I got my eating under control and addressed the 'whys' of the eating instead of throwing myself into prep hoping that being forced to eat a certain way would fix all of that for me (because IT WON’T!). I started to get that sorted in about August 2014 with the help of some wonderful people and then felt ready to start prepping in about April 2015. 

Candice - Tropix INBA - No Placing

Before we move on, let's talk more about post comp. Acknowledging just how tough these questions are;

How is it possible to go from comp-lean to 17kg over that weight?

Well...A number of issues. This is why reverse dieting is so important! Isn't hindsight a wonderful thing!? After eating at a calorie deficit for a really long time during prep (and remember I did two preps back to back, so even longer than normal), the metabolism slows down. Post comp I didn't pay attention to reverse dieting and just went on with life as per usual despite all the warnings...I ate 'clean' but ate what I wanted, when I wanted, didn't really meal prep etc etc. It was also a big time of change for me - I finished uni, moved and got my first proper job, so I think my health was definitely pushed down the priority list. At the end of the day it was my own laziness and ignorance that got me there!

Candice - Post Comp

So what protocols did you try to follow? Why did/didn't they work?

I didn't really - I mean I tried to 'eat clean' as much as possible but I didn't pay attention to quantities at all. Just goes to show there can be too much of a good thing...too much food is still too much food whether it is chocolate or chicken and veg! 

When I got to my turning point moment I started on a recomposer program which I loved, but also still felt that it was too restrictive for an off season for me. For those that don't have experience with recomp it is a software program that is used by coaches. You basically eat the same foods every day for a week; progress is then measured via weight, skin folds and strength gains during training, and then food is adjusted accordingly. It’s a fabulous way to track progress, but I didn't want to feel like I was prepping during my off season...maybe I just wasn't ready? Who knows? I do love the idea of the program though.

After this I started researching IIFYM (gasp!!) and after many discussions with Kirsten and lots and lots of reading and podcasts I decided to give it a crack...and it worked! For those who don't know IIFYM is a method of food tracking/dieting whereby you set yourself targets for protein, carbs and fats and you must hit these every day, eating foods of your choice and keeping track of it in an app such as my fitness pal. I managed to increase my food up to about 2300 calories (which was important for me at this time as I was almost feeling ready to start prepping again) and lose a few kilos in the process. It gave me control back over my food, but also allowed me enough flexibility to eat out when I wanted to (which I really love). 

So are you trying to tell us that 'Clean Eating' still had you putting on excess weight?? Gasp…horror.

Yes...

And did you try IIFYM in it's raw form - that is, eating whatever, whenever as long as it fitted your macros? 

Yeah I did. I don't generally eat junk food anyway, but when I did I made sure it fit the numbers required for the day.

What was the result of following it that way?

Over the course of a few months I got my calories up to about 2300 and managed to drop 4kg meaning I started my prep at 70kg. Getting calories up was really important to me - I could have lost more weight but decided that it was more important to get my calories up as high as possible whilst maintaining weight before prep started. 

Did you ever try IIFYM with modifications or changes to the method?

Once I started prep I used this method for the first few months. We quickly realised that I needed to spread my calories more evenly throughout the day and pay more attention to the types of foods I was eating. I did get a little bit carried away with the whole 'eat whatever you like as long as it fits' mentality and ate a lot of foods I wouldn't normally eat just because I could! 

How did you feel about yourself through the weight gain?

Awful. Horrible. Embarrassed. I don't think I looked 'overweight' but I was incredibly unhappy and uncomfortable.  I didn't look like someone that trained. 

What did you think of the competition world while this was going on?

I still loved it. I became very interested in the different athletes and their 'methods' and had started doing a lot of reading of blogs and listening to podcasts about nutrition, training styles etc. I couldn't help but feel a little jealous of those that seemed to be able to maintain a rocking' bod with seemingly little effort year round. This is where social media got a bit dangerous for me...Easy to forget that people aren't always honest!

What was the turning point if there was one?

I was in hospital for an operation and had to do the dreaded weigh in - something I had avoided for a long time! And the scales hit 74kg...Not too long after that was the WFF Universe Titles where I was immersed in the world again after such a long break and I knew it was time to get my shit together. 

And let's touch on social media - you and I talked quite often about the girls that put up posts of "shredding" while eating 2000 cals plus a day. Hell, some even ate that and did no cardio and still claimed to shred down. What's your thoughts on those posts?

Ahhh. I'm not sure. I don't like to think that people blatantly lie about things. I'm sure they do, but I will give them benefit of the doubt. I just know that what they were claiming was working miracles for them definitely was not working for me, which made me a little mad...How come I wasn't shredded on 2000 a day, let alone the no cardio part!? Haha. It's all relative, and it’s hard to be rational and reasonable during prep sometimes. 

You touched on social media being a little dangerous for you. Tell us more. 

Incredibly. There was even a point throughout my prep that I was banned from it for two weeks. Two whole weeks! But, I spent way too much time looking at my competition, comparing photos, looking at their food and training...ridiculous stuff!! I was constantly doubting myself, comparing myself and talking myself out of competing purely because of a few well posed photos and posts. 

What would you suggest for others who get their training, advice, self-esteem and everything else from Facebook?

Don't get me wrong I think it is a wonderful tool when used in the right way. It gives us so much access to health and fitness information and 'gurus' that even our freaky little sport has become more mainstream, but I think information on there needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Absorb the information, research the theories yourself and don't get stuck on the 'right' and 'wrong' ways to lose weight or train or grow muscle. There isn't a right and wrong. There isn't a quick fix or a magic fat burning pill or powder. Those abs on the girl advertising all of the above are probably there because she has just competed and is still hungry and has a wicked spray tan and/or is in exceptional gym bathroom lighting. For most of us, all that will work is CONSISTENCY, hard work, consistency, consistency and a little more consistency. 

Part II is coming soon - more questions - more honesty.....

I have a mental strength when I put my mind to something. I don’t deny this. I like to think it’s my inner strength. It’s been called other names in the past though;

-         Obsessive – just can’t seem to let that shit go!

-         Compulsive – how will I sleep if I don’t just do it??!

-         Dogged – is there really such a colour as grey?

-         Maniacal – there are many ways to skin a cat and I like to put a few together sometimes.

-         One-eyed – there is grey. Dark grey or light grey. Nothing in between.

-         Even … gulp .. a zealot – ouchie – that one hurts just a tad!

I have an update on me. I’m not nearly as much of any of those things as I used to be. But I do retain just a bit of each of them, that’s undeniable. And I won’t even apologise for it. I’d rather have an opinion and give it a good crack, then be a cream shade of vanilla and not bother to get passionate about something.

Once I decided to give bodybuilding a crack, on 1 January 2012, I threw myself into head-first. Those around me at the time are probably smiling about now. You see, from that point on, I just had a one-track mind and pretty much every move I made was to get one step closer to that goal. And I won. I won my class and I won the Overall title that year. I have no regrets, but I would do it differently if I knew what I now know.

Of all the lessons I have learned, the methods and techniques I have picked up and the tips I have up my sleeve, the best one I have is to never call my way the only way. Never ever. It has been hard when I’ve learned something new and it works almost immediately and I feel like I can save the world with this little titbit - so hard not to announce it in such a way as to be a smidgin condescending, a little bit smug and oozing a little slice of mentalness.

It hasn’t always been my fault though. People desperately looking for weight-loss are pretty easy to impress upon. More than easy – they tend to want to jump into anything that promises the world. In fact, the crazier and more ‘hard-core’ the better. Why simply eat less shit and up the ante on exercise, when you can pay one of Michelle Bridge’s office girls to write you a personalised (snort!) program with exactly what to eat and when, matched with over-the-top cardio on 6 days, with a special “Super Saturday” extra-long session for good measure. Michelle and her wallet wins every time.

The other thing I can say about myself these days is that I am truly grateful for my career that runs alongside my training. I was chatting with a beautiful lady at the gym today and it dawned on me that so many girls (not so many guys that I know of), get a taste of bodybuilding and next minute they are focused purely on how to immerse themselves in that world from morning til night. Suddenly they are studying their Cert III & IV and surprisingly pushing their professions/careers/jobs to the side and pursuing a life as a trainer/coach – and it feels like they think the total immersion in all-things-and-people-gym makes them a more dedicated/pure/hard-core trainer. I wish them well. As for me, I went the other way. I was a PT when I first started out and I quickly returned to the career that I love, and I love it all the more as a perfect contrast to training. I love every day of my job and I am sincerely grateful that I am there and thriving in a career that will keep me very comfortably into my retirement (which is still a bloody long way away for your information!!). Something that personal training will not achieve for about 99% of people. And to be honest, pt’ing is bloody hard work!! It’s like being a life-coach without the training and it doesn’t pay particularly well, has no super attached and, here’s the real kicker, can be fairly unforgiving as we get older and don’t wish to be our own walking training advertisement. All things to consider before re-locating from the 'office' to the gym.

Onto exciting stuff. This new trainer of mine, she writes a brutal program. I’m flogged at the end of every workout and, just quietly, there is one in there that plays with my mind when I know it’s scheduled for the day. The scheduled split is different from what I have ever done and there is a combination of styles within one workout which is quite exciting. There are changes happening and that’s pretty exciting.

I also have a nutritionist looking after me and that’s a first. I struggle to trust myself with food sometimes so it’s even harder to trust someone else. But I am and it’s paying off. I have the type of personality that likes to do everything very correctly so following her plan is no exception. It helps that it includes hummus and strawberries and eggs and rice cakes and berries and porridge and quinoa and chickpeas and meat ….. all the usuals but some great combinations and a very user-friendly format.

I’m still looking at Season A, 2016. I need to seriously practise more posing so I can lose the 1980’s robot dance moves, or maybe I’ll keep them in there and go for the sympathy vote!

Food Rules Can Create Food Prisons - Or Is Just Me Who Does This??

DON’T MAJOR ON THE MINORS!!! (or… stop making health rules into your own personal prison!)

Guess what. People – girls, in particular - are very, very good at making a religion out of food and training ‘rules’. Tell them not to do something and suddenly the baby goes flying out the window with the bath water. Suddenly it’s no longer ‘ok’ to eat a certain food combination, or use a certain oil – least the heavens open and a bolt of hot lightening strikes you down and adds a big fat kilo of cellulite right on the widest part of your hips! I dare you to tell me you don’t know what I mean – dare you!!

The fads surrounding nutrition are very clear and they generally start on social media and make their way onto mainstream media before the world explodes into a new religion!! Paleo. Cross-fit. Diets. Get a few celebrity names on-board and we have ourselves a new religion.

Here’s something I know to be true; Too much information is NOT helpful for most of us. Between FB posts (which are always truthful and/or researched of course – no question about that!), seminars, e-books, newsletters and loud-mouths – the overload of information is rampant.

On that; if you are taking a random FB comment as gospel, on just about any topic, without finding more out yourself, well… you sort of need to give yourself a sharp uppercut. I seriously do not care if it is said by an “IFBB pro” (cos there aren’t many of them around are there?), a ‘Sponsored Athlete’ (who has no interest in pushing their sponsee’s product of course), or an all-round honest person – a comment with no back-up (including my own!) is just there for entertainment and to pique your interest. Not to build one of the walls of your personal prison from.

If your bread-and-butter is dependant on training, nutrition, health and selling your product, I am certain that every detail is important. Staying in touch with the cutting edge of science and also balancing that with the latest fads and putting it all into one attractive marketing bundle will be the way to win likers for sure. I get that.

But for the majority of us who love to train and want to stay healthy, fit and happy – it’s pretty damn important to keep a balance on our approach. If you’re scratching your head and wondering what the hell I’m on about, I’ll try and make this really simple;

How To Make Food Rules Into Your Own Personal Prison

-          I would eat fruit because it is a brilliant source of vitamins and hardly upsets my fragile little insulin monster at all

-          However I may consider giving it away altogether because, sadly for fruit, it has those magic ‘ose’ (as in fructose) letters attached. Meaning it is sugar. And sugar is Satanic. Capital ‘S’.

-          I would definitely hold on to broccoli. That’s what bodybuilders eat. Broccoli.

-          But I wouldn’t admit to it. Because only fanatical bodybuilders eat Broccoli.

-          I would eat tons of cauliflower. I would use it as my pizza base; I would cook it whole in the oven; I would use it as ‘fake’ mashed potato. Cauliflower is Godly. Capital ‘G’.

-          I would not drink milk!! Give me a “Hell No!!” Milk is bad. Really Bad.

-          Almond milk is ok. Rice milk is ok. Soy milk is bad.

-          Actually – apparantely full cream milk is ok but low fat milk is still bad.

-          F***K it!! All too hard to figure out. Just give anything ‘milk’ a wide berth.

-          Chicken breast is still the most angelic and celestial meat in the whole world.

-          But never would I eat it with broccoli because Chicken & Broccoli is a terrible cliché.

-          I would stick with quinoa – but I wouldn’t call it “Quin – O – A” again, because I really did feel like a dick. I now know it to be “Keen-Wa”. What a stupid word for a yummy carb!

-          I would keep rice because “no one ever got fat eating rice” – right? Is that still applicable?

-          Unless I subscribed to Perfect Paleo Pete. And then I would have to make do with organic eggs and smallish piece of grass fed beef. Yummy as it is… watching a bowl of lettuce would become more exciting than eating this every night.

-          I would eat more smoothies. Green of course. Is there any other colour for a smoothie? Have you heard of a Crimson Smoothie? Of course you haven’t. Because the only smoothies that exist are Green Smoothies. Overpriced Green Smoothies. Thank you Boost – you rock!

-          Coffee is good. But bad. But great. But evil.

-          Green tea is ok. It tastes like horse-wee – but I’m told it’s great. I’m sure it is … because it tastes so bad. Even the very cool and uber popular (love that word. ‘Uber’. So sophisticated) X-50 Green tea. Guess what – I hate it. Horrible. Strong, nasty after-taste that keeps on giving for an extra hour or two. YUCK.

Supplements

-          Creatine, protein, glucosamine, ALA, glutamine, BCAA’s, leucine, tourine, casein, glutamine, magnesium, tyrosine, vitamin C, vitamin B, vitamin E – I’m so overwhelmed by the whole lot and every time I delve into it, I find information that negates the way I’m doing it – so I give up and pretty much don’t take any of them.

-          Protein powders should be ‘raw’. No added nasties. Sweetened naturally. Except they taste freakin terrible. Horrible. Awful. Close-nose-and-down-the-trap material.

-          Protein bars are chalky tasting chocolate bars. Demonic to their low-grade-protein core and the fibre content does not negate the carb content. Only fools (like me) are taken in by this and continue to chew-longtime on them. And I like the taste – gasp, shock, horror. Fancy admitting to liking them and eating them!! Occasionally.

Training

-          Reps, sets, rest periods, rest days, heavy weights, light weights, techniques, range of movement, partial sets, dropsets, matrixes, giant sets – all of it needs to be combined to a perfectly set program that interacts beautifully and is part of an overall progressive program. No wonder personal trainers are an essential expense – how the hell do you make sense of the information overload? And the ‘rules’ that are touted by some FB self-proclaimed gurus?

Estrogen

-          This is the word that is beginning to haunt my very soul!! I’m surrounded by estrogen information and I’m seriously worried about what I need to do to run far away from this fat holding, dimple making hormone!! To avoid it at all costs I need to avoid;

Heating anything in plastic, drinking from warm plastic bottles. Using makeup, perfume, deodorant, jewellery, hair dyes, cleaning products, gardening products and soaps that contain nasty hormones.

While I am fascinating and horrified and wanting to clean my life up at all costs – I seriously love perfume, and my fancy smelly soaps, and I’m not opposed to a bit of colour in the old locks. I can’t imagine trying to find ‘raw’ eye liner and, in the Northern Territory, seriously – any deodorant is better than none!! But I have immediately stopped all plastic heating! That one I could cope with easily.

Biggest Scams I Have Fallen For  - according to me only – sure to offend someone, somewhere…

·         Green smoothies – being full of goodness of course, this is not in question – but what people are prepared to pay for these things is truly unbelievable to me – I’d rather cook up a big batch of ‘green’ and drizzle with my favourite topping, sprinkle with some crushed almonds and serve along side a steaming steak – and probably still come in cheaper than a store bought green smoothie.

·         Raw food. It’s not even raw!!!! I thought Raw = Uncooked. How could I get this so wrong??

·         Oils – the do’s and don’ts that go with oils is amusing to say the least. Coconut, Canola, Palm, Flax, Sunflower, Olive, hell, let’s throw margarine and butter in there. Who to believe? Who not to believe? Does a dash of any oil really factor in that much in the big scheme of things? I tend to think IT DOESN’T!! But what would I know?

·         Pre-post shakes. If not consumed between picking up gym bag and reaching gym door – CATABOLIC!!!!!!! Hahaha – gotta laugh at myself sometimes. Ridiculous. Haven’t had pre/post workout shakes for well over a year now.

As always, most of the pitfalls I write about are ones I have fallen in myself. I can be very rigid in my approach to anything and I am now rigidly attempting to keep my life unrigid. Don’t try to make sense of that because it just won’t make sense. But I know what I mean and that’s all that really matters.

AT ALL COSTS –MAINTAIN COMMON SENSE. IF IT SOUNDS SENSIBLE – GO WITH IT. IF IT DOESN’T ….

Starting Point - Guess That Means I'm Doing It All Over Again!

What does it take to look beautiful? Sexy? Worthy? Does a competitor in a body-building show really feel sexy? Maybe, but what if you spend a fortune on a blinged up bikini, strappy heels, professional hair & make-up, and then the process of leaning down brings out some of your flaws for all to see?

That would be me. I thrive on the challenge of chase to stage-readiness, but I accept a few of the annoying side-effects of such an endeavour. I have a jaw that is too square to be conventional. I have a waist that point-blank refuses to cinch. I have legs that enjoy holding onto some little fat deposits, and I have (as explained sooo many times before) a bit of skin strategically placed on the gluteus maximus that does not want to play the firming-up game when I get under a certain weight. On top of that, my face looks drawn, weary and gaunt come comp-day. No one needs to point any of this out to me. I know it all. I am scarily honest with myself and can be terribly hard on myself too.

Despite the above, I feel spectacularly alive on competition day. I feel a rush of excitement that gathers momentum throughout the day. I get those same waves of that excitement through the last 6 weeks of comp prep, and it gives me the strength and determination to fight through the weary fog that descends at points. I thrive on the challenge to get stage ready and absolutely love the contrast of depletion vs 'normal'. It's crazy for sure, I'll never deny that!

Being brutally honest, the comp criticism can hurt an already fragile ego but it’s all part of the package and I shouldn’t compete if I can’t handle the jandal. I've given myself a few stiff uppercuts after asking for feedback and being told exactly what is not right with  my body in relation to competitions. As long as it’s delivered appropriately, I can take it and digest it. My view is- if I’m not winning everything I put myself up for (lol!! I’m certainly not!!) then there has to be room for some pretty big improvements. If I can’t accept that improvement is needed, yet I’m not winning, then there would be a serious flaw in my reasoning. As I stated, I’m seriously honest with myself and I like confirming which areas need the most attention.

With all of that said and done, I’m ready to do some changing. I’m up for a new challenge.

So let's put it out there for all to see. I'm doing a competition in early 2016. Haha - there - I said it!! It must be real then!

And let's drop another clanger. I have been without coach/trainer for over a year while I have been deciding on which direction I want to go in and how I want to get there. I now have a coach. I didn't go small - that just wouldn't be me. I went for the best in the Universe. And I didn't gravitate to her because she is the best actually - because that, as a value in itself, is not anywhere near the top of my Most Important List. It is much more about having a compatible training style, an approachable demeanour and being just an overall lovely person. She truly is all of this and so much more and the wait and search has been well worth it. Along with a coach, I have taken on a nutritionist and the credentials are all there again. And she just seems like a beautiful person on top of it all.

So I'm set up. I'm roaring to go. I started my new program today and the delts are seriously thumping.

Approx 25 weeks to go and I'm going to ride this baby out with the others going for Season A. Too exciting!!

 

A Bit Of Growth & A New Goal

 

No filters. No special lights. No weird camera angles. This is me. Standing in the bright sunshine, flat on to an Iphone camera 2 days ago.

I’m happy with the growth. I’ve worked hard – really hard – on growing my back. And my quads. And my glutes.

I’ve spent a year working solidly on growth without blowing out and it’s been a bloody fabulous year. I’ve written my own programs and motivation has come from within coupled with a fierce desire to show that the programs I write work.

I decided to embark on a ‘lean down’ for 12 weeks. I love the challenge of having a goal. I didn’t lean down to a comp condition but I got quite darn close. I am very specific at what condition I compete at and believe I could have thrown my muscles in the ring this time around but chose not to.

So what’s next? Well here’s the thing – I am quite certain that I shall never be a world or universe winner in this crazy sport. I’m just not built with the right sort of genes (sometimes you just gotta accept the facts). But I believe I can still be competitive and I have quite a few little goals to hit along the way.

The itch to do it all over again is growing. In fact it’s really stewing there now. I’m formulating a plan and I’ve enlisted some experts to help me up to the next level. I’m so excited to learn more!! I’m chomping at the bit to get cracking.

So here we go – ready to ride the wave!!!

Urghhhh - I'm Not Going To Be Ready In Time!!!!!

 

The day is fast approaching. You’ve invited your Mum from Brissy, your sister from Perth and a whole row is going to be filled with excited work colleagues!! You’ve invested a small fortune on less than a metre of material, a bit over a hundred for sparkly, clear, stripper heels. Hired a make-up artist for around $80, coupled with a hair dresser who will also charge like a wounded bull for her specialist services on the Rest Day of her week.

But they are only ‘incidental’ costs compared to the thousands splurged on coaches, supplements, PT sessions, and posing practices – and let’s not even get started with sourcing asparagus off-season or ensuring your supply of fresh chicken breast stays high. There’s not a move you can make in this business that doesn’t sting you for at least a cool hundred.

And then horror of horrors – you anticipated ‘coast’ into comp has become a literal labour of lard!!! It won’t budge! The thighs are still banging and the butt is still jiggling. The tummy only looks lean if you catch it at 6.30am before breakfast, and the six pack is thus far contained within the top shelf of the fridge in the coke zero section.

The clichés are becoming f***n annoying quite frankly. “Trust the process”, “it’ll happen if you are just patient”, “you’ve already won just by getting up there”. Yaddah, yaddah, yaddah … might make others feel better but it sure doesn’t/didn’t make me feel better! Why? Because they are not actually true. This mystical 'process' only bloody-well works if you do exactly what's asked of you.

So why aren't you ready? I'll give you a few possibilities and you can choose your ending;

* you keep binging ... no one sees you, no one knows, you eat extremely quickly so it doesn't count as much, you are meticulous on the other 6 days of the week .. but the honest reality is that you really are having a binge here and there and you don't fully realise the damage a big dose of sugar or fat can do to a slow metabolism. Binging generally happens during comp prep when your prep diet is deficient. Or you are just not cut out for depletion in food.

* you have been dieting for wayyyyyy too long and your poor body is simply no longer willing to play the game. You can only flog yourself for so long until it doesn't work anymore.

* Your coach/trainer is not cutting the mustard and their approach is rubbish.

So what do you do? Massive question with a few scenario answers that I can think of.

Firstly I’d like to clarify something. I am not talking about those that are perfectly happy competing while perhaps knowing that they are not in award winning shape. I’m only talking about the situation where the competitor absolutely and categorically knows that they are not ready – they haven’t achieved anywhere near where they hoped/anticipated they will be and it's obvious to them and those around them that dare to be honest.

So with that clarified, what courses of action are there for that awful situation where you are 4-6 weeks out and it dawns on you (like a concrete brick in the head) that you are simply not going to be ready to get on that stage in the shape you wanted to be in;

1.       You accept it, do it anyway and keep a big fat smile on the dial. That may be increasingly hard on the day and it may leave an awfully bitter taste in your mouth unless you are truly able to let go of your own expectations. I wouldn’t choose this one for myself. I’ve stepped on stage, just last year, in a shape that I wasn’t happy with. It bugged me from the moment I arrived to the minute I left. I wouldn’t do it again.

2.       You find the humility and the guts from deep, deep down, and pull out of that competition. You face the people you invited, and simply let them know it hasn’t worked out this time. Tough, tough road, but ultimately one I’d rather live with.

 

3.       You resort to ludicrous measures in order to fast-track the fat loss. You drop cals to way under 1000 a day, no carbs to speak of, huge amounts of cardio – throw in some steady state rubbish, some ridiculously stupid fasted cardio and turn your weights into yet another sneaky hiit – but you call it another name like “metabolic training” and pretend to anyone who’ll listen that it’s definitely “not cardio” .. chortle chortle … (looks like a rat, smells like a rat, sounds like a rat …. it’s a ??).

This #3 option, to anyone with full common-sense, is rather stupid. But to a carb-depleted, broke, proud body-builder – it’s the obvious choice. I consider myself a woman with plenty of common sense. But I found myself starving, haggard, teary and infinitely fatigued and still I continued to lower food, increase activity and aim for the leanest version of myself I could muster. It got stupid and everyone around me could see it, except for me.

The position of being ready ‘on time’ can be addressed very early on in the piece. If you are being coached or trained and you are reporting back religiously once a week with scale weight and maybe the odd picture, and you get a standard reply and you are a little suspicious that you may be getting the same diet as everyone being trained by that person – it’s probably true. You are. But that’s ok – from a training point of view, it is not necessary to have everyone on entirely different and specialised programs. Until the end of the comp prep. And that is when the cost of your trainer is justified. If they are still pumping out the generic “3 Weeks Out” plan and you are still looking as if you need to drop a good 4-5kgs …. Your plan may not be quite right for where you are at.

At Final Stage, we sit and chat each and every Sunday about our trainees and where they are at and what the plan for the coming week is. We have no qualms in stopping something mid-week if it isn’t working and we will keep trying new things until we find something that works. I’m certain that is what all coaches/trainers claim to do – but you and I know that the reality is often far from that scenario. Pick honest trainers. You won’t realise their worth until that last phase when you need the personal touch for your own personal situation.

So in short, if you are certain that you aren’t/won’t be ready for comp day – be honest with yourself. Either do it with good grace, or have the guts to retreat with dignity. Don’t labour through with some sense of owing your fan-base something. If you are awkward and unhappy, the whole stadium will feel those vibes – as a judge I can promise you this is true. True smiles and confidence are not present in the eyes unless it comes from the heart.

Good luck with all of the preps going on out there!

So you want to make a big change to your body? Or do you…? You think you do .. you really do. To coin a very common cliché’, you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired - but let’s face it – you’ve already been sick and tired many times before. There’s a cycle going on in there and you probably already know what it is. It could look something like this;

1.       Reality Hits

·         Caught sight of yourself in a photograph and thought, “Holy crap!!! What the hell happened to me??? I look ginormous!!!”

·         Hopped on the scales after spending the last 6 months loudly dispelling the scales with comments such as, “not a true indicator”, “stupid”, “doesn’t take into account muscle” .. all the while knowing that the true reason you’re giving them a wide berth is because you just know the results will shock you more than you care to imagine.

·         Someone thoughtless but probably non-malicious comment by a random associate about your figure got you thinking and your mind just wouldn’t let it go.

·         You went to the Doctor and they told you it’s time to shape up before you ship out.

2.       The Decision

·         A 12 week challenge – Michelle Bridges, a local gym, a park-based fitness program or a personal trainer – these are the most common options.

·         A diet – weight watchers, lite and easy, Jenny Craig – you know the ones – they dictate what to eat and when and may even send you some ‘yummy’ dehydrated packages to nuke and eat.

·         A shake or pill – Terry Whatshisname from the Chemist, a Herbalife or Isagenix distributor, the fat burning section of your local supplement shop, Optifast…. So many more that in this list…

·         A trainer – personal trainer generally but sometimes a holistic style of trainer who incorporates meditation and life-coaching

·         A book – covering all aspects of Diet, Nutrition, Fat-loss, Paleo, Ketones … have I hit the trendy buzzwords??

·         A program found in a magazine – 12 Days To A Flat Stomach, 4 Weeks To Thin Thighs, 8 Days to Your Dream Bikini Bod – I could go on…. But I won’t.

3.       The Action

·         You sign up online and pay the Challenge fee. Access immediately given to programs, diets, online support chat forums.

·         You order your first set of pre-made meals and the countdown is on for them to arrive. 3 weeks until that courier delivers your precious parcels of 99% low fat, no sugar food.

·         You head to the chemist or the local stockist and before you know it you’ve got an armful of pills or powders that promise to supress your appetite while leaving you feeling like a box of fluffy ducks and while the fat is literally melting off you at an alarming rate of knots.

·         You enquire at the gym and make that first PT appointment and you wait in nervous anticipation for that initial training session where your PT will speak their magic and the world will be at One.

·         You head to the bookshop or scour the net and before you know it, you’re knee deep in pages of words that attempt to excite and enlighten you for your journey to a better bod.

·         You buy the magazines with the best tag lines and, for once, you bypass the latest news on the Kardashians and head straight into the daily food plans and the workout programs that all look surprisingly easy for the pretty girl in the Lorna Jane tights who is kindly teaching you’re your new go-to moves.

4.       7-10 Days In – Things are Happening..

·         There seems to be an awful lot of reading in the online Challenge business, and the chat forums get kinda annoying and very time consuming.

·         The pre-made meals arrive and, well, the truth is that not all of them taste too great. Some do but they are wayyyy too small and the cost is weighing on your mind. How can you justify spending that much on food each week …

·         The pills were great on Day 1. Still going strong on Day 2. Day 3 and they are getting a little annoying and they are get stuck in your throat some mornings. Why o why are fish oil tabs so big by the way?? The powders also started out great and those shakes were the most filling thing you’ve every ‘eaten’. For the first 5 days you didn’t feel the least bit sorry for yourself, whipping out that big glass of thick chocolate sludge while everyone around you was chowing down on their mince and pasta bake. By Day 8, those shakes are tasting just fractionally chemical and they are not quite hitting the spot in the tummy stakes either. You find yourself drinking your shake and having a little top-up snack on the side.

·         The PT at the gym is great … but they work you a little too hard and they seem somewhat unsympathetic to the fact that you are sore and don’t enjoy plyometrics very much. Work seems to be getting busier and the small thought is forming like a little acorn in your mind, “perhaps I don’t really need a trainer…. I could do this myself … besides – it costs a lot and I’m sure that I could use the money better if I bought myself some gear and did home workouts”.

·         The self-help books are butt-boring and too scientific for the layman.

·         The Kardashian stories become more appealing than the diet stories and, in your heart of hearts, you realise that the health editor of the women’s mags doesn’t really have the best qualifications for changing your body – especially in 8 days

5.       The Cycle

·         An event occurs and the new regime abruptly stops. Main culprits: Weddings, Holidays, Planned Dinner Out, Party, Christmas, Easter, Birthday, Public Holiday.

·         Money runs out to renew subscriptions to mags, books, online groups, pt sessions.

·         The shakes and pills make you actually sick.

Or my all-time favourite

·         The 12 Week Challenge Ends – predictably at the end of 12 Weeks

What’s My Point?

I come into contact with people regularly – constantly – that want to change. They never say they want to change for 12 weeks or even 6 months – they tell me they want to make big changes, presumably forever. I rarely believe them. Harsh? Probably. That does not mean I don’t think it’s possible – of course it is! Every single person has the power to change their own circumstances – that is a point NOT in dispute. But do I think most people have the goods to follow their changes in the long-term? No.

I guess I sort of hope my viewpoint may stir up some indignation. Some sense of being pissed off at me. A flaming desire to prove me wrong. That’s what I’d like to come out of this. Get mad and get even – I can take it! But you’ll need some guts and determination so if you don’t you need not apply.

I reckon I have the right to lay down the challenge. I spent my teenage life glugging beer, puffing fags, sitting on my fat arse and eating anything I could that made me feel nice. And when I decided I wanted to lose weight I followed every magazine diet I could find, chewed on laxative bars to the point where I would rather die than eat fennel, spent months eating nothing but carrots and oranges, spent even more months binging on sugar, chewed pills, went to Weight Watchers, baked cakes without even licking my finger, ate whole cakes without even baking them first – and pretty much everything in between. I was in a constant state of eating too much or too little and swung from being in the 40kg range to the 90kg range. I was unrecognisable at each end of that scary spectrum.

So I do speak from experience. Unfortunately.

And I know the keys to success. They aren’t hard actually, but you have to want it enough. And most don’t.

What You Should Know

·         You can’t make changes without making changes

·         You can’t carry on as you are and make changes

·         People around you will need to realise you are making changes – if they don’t even notice, then you aren’t making any

·         You will need to learn to say “yes” or “no” where you haven’t previously said those words

·         You will need to prioritise change – not with lip service – not with the usual moans of “I wish I could.. but I can’t”, “if only…”, “one day..” blah blah blah – I’ve heard it all – just means you aren’t ready

·         You will feel uncomfortable during changes – and so might the people around you

·         If you are losing weight – you WILL feel hungry – Yep – YOU WILL

·         Exercise is tiring – accept that you will earn your tv time – but being sick and tired is more tiring in the long term

·         Injuries do NOT stop you exercising – they just mean you need to adapt

·         Sore knees and being unable to squat or lunge do NOT mean you can’t make a whole body change  - there are so many other ways to skin that cat!

·         “I just don’t prioritise myself – I’m always looking after everyone else” – is an unusual cliché that I don’t believe. It’s convenient and sounds pretty darn self-less – but I don’t buy it. For so many reasons.

·         Eating well costs the same as eating shit – because you aren’t constantly buying out. Come one – let’s get a little honest on that one! Fresh veg and fruit is definitely more expensive than packaged or processed foods – but the lattes, muffins and McDonalds add up quite quickly….

·         If you are getting older – an affliction that hits .. well.. all l of us – there are two things that will have you considering your physical health and wellbeing.

o   Your own quest to being healthy, or

o   Your doctor

I guarantee one will eventually get you thinking…

I’m not one to mince words and I tend to be a little controversial so why stop now?