Trish's 2011 Comp Prep, week 5- Stay focused!

Bodybuilding and Figure competitions are one of the toughest sports around. I’ve trained for a triathlon before and played various sports, but I’ve never had to be as disciplined and as structured as I am with contest prep. As with any sport, the diet is key- whether it’s to fuel up for a race or to recover from workouts, it’s the diet that will make or break you. Last week was rough to say the least.

My calories are normal for a female my size, but I’ve had a really hard time watching my husband eat 5000+ calories a day. His cheat day is on Saturdays and not surprisingly, that’s the toughest day of the week for me. This Saturday I came home from training my clients to fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, then it was Chipotle for lunch (picture me there with my lunch bag in hand), then more cookies, and don’t forget about the chips or cereal, then Dickie’s BBQ, and finally frozen yogurt for dessert…Holy cow!

I never realized how tough it would be to have one person in the house that’s trying to lose weight; while the other’s trying to gain weight (I’ve never had that problem!). So I guess the point to my ranting is how do I stay focused? Bodybuilding is tough enough without fattening food being sat in front of my face, but where do I find the will power to stick to the diet and not give in to temptation?

Here’s a list of my top 5 distractions:

1. I look at my past competition photos and photos of people whose physiques I admire.
2. I clean up, organize, and keep myself busy to take my mind off of wanting to eat.
3. I shop! Buying clothes or searching online for something I want is always a great distraction.
4. I walk my dog around the neighborhood or just get my heart pumping a little (nothing strenuous  though  because I don’t want to over-train).
5. I curl up and read a book or magazine and sometimes will sip on a hot tea with calorie free sweetner to curb my appetite.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, spend some time trying different things to get your mind off of food and on to winning that trophy! It’s just like they say, out of sight, out of mind…