Better check yo'self b4 you wreck yo'self!



Me with my family after I won my IFBB Pro Card at the USA's.



If any of you reading this have ever dieted for a prolonged period of time (for me it was 8 months) you will understand my feelings over the last couple of weeks.  As a competitor, I dieted for 8 long months to get to the pinnacle of my conditioning.  I normally give myself 4 months so that I can get there in a heathly way and this season I ended up needing to tweak some things to get my conditioning perfect for the USA's.  While it really paid off in a big way, I now am sitting here with a sort lost feeling.  It's difficult to describe, but when you put all of your energy into something and seek perfection from it, the result can be bitter sweet.  I exceeded my own expectations this year by getting my IFBB pro card, and now I want to gear up for the 2012 season...but transitioning into my "off-season" is a little scary for me. 



My goal is to stay within 5 lbs of my competition weight- (and bummer for me) that includes water weight gain that you get immediately afterwards.  If I can stay right where I am now, I'll be fine.  I've decided to help me stay motivated I'm going to schedule a couple of photoshoots for Sept/Oct/Nov time frame.  I won't know when my first pro show will be until October so I figure having someone take photos of me in tiny outfits before then will surely keep me in shape!  It really can be hard to keep yourself in check when you don't have something coming up for a while.  It's so easy to have your slip ups and not really worry about them until you get on the scale and you're 10 lbs up!  I've decided that I'm not gonna let that happen to me this year.  Here's my game plan:



1. Eat clean all week long.  Basically I'll stay on my competition diet during the week and then have one day (Saturday) to eat pretty much whatever I want for 1/2 day. 

2. Keep up my cardio, but less than competition season.  This is more for the mental aspect of it than anything.  Cardio keeps my mind in check and just makes me feel good :-)

3. Schedule photo shoots farther out from contest to keep my motivation to stay in shape.  Shoots are easy right after contest because you're already in shape...its the ones set farther out that keep your eating in check!

4. Only eat cheat meals that are really "worth it".  I'm not gonna just eat crap because I can.  I'm working hard for those meals so they better be the most amazing things I've ever tasted! 

5. Weigh myself every week whether I want to or not.  I need the accountability and it'll help me to control myself on my cheat meal days.  It's amazing how many foods you start to crave after you've had a "taste".  Sugar and fats really are addictive- that's I leave them out completely during my competition prep.  I rather not even have the temptation!

So this weekend after my cheat day, I actually weighed myself for the first time since contest.  I haven't had that much anxiety in a long time.  But thankfully, I'm staying within 5 lbs of my contest day weight still.  It's like I have to re-train my brain after every competition season.  In my head I know it's not healthy to keep really low body fat all year round, but my ego wants to...Therin lies the issue. 

OMG, I won!....Now what?

Last month seemed like a huge whirlwind.  I had 3 contests in July and looking back it all seems like a blur.  The first contest of the month was the San Jose show where I placed first in my class in figure and bodybuilding.  Then it was on to the natural IFPA show in Sacramento.  I placed 2nd there again to Chrissy Z. but I was happy nonetheless because I'd shown up in great condition.  I had a hard time this season with bloating the day of the show.  For some reason I kept retaining a lot of water throughout the day and by the time I went on stage I felt like a bloated mess and my suit was tight!  Talk about frustrating.  But thank God that my hubby is a genius and he came up with a perfect peaking plan for my last show in Vegas- the NPC USA's. 

The USA's was really important show to me for a couple of reasons.  The first being that I was ready to move away from the figure division and into either the new NPC physique division or natural bodybuilding.  I was tired of "the heels" and not getting to really flex my muscles.  The second reason is that I knew I needed to make a choice between the IFPA or the NPC as they had sent out letters to some fellow competitors warning them that they needed to compete in either one or the other division.   So in my head I was already debating on which organization I should choose.  I knew that if I won my class at the USA's and earned my pro card in the IFBB that the decision would be so much easier for me.

I went into the USA's without any expectations.  I just focused on nailing my poses, making eye contact with the judges, and tried to keep my nerves in check.  There was a huge crowd there and it included my parents from Oklahoma as well as my sister and her boyfriend from Texas, so the pressure was on!  I wanted to do well for myself but also for my husband who had put up with me for all those months while I was dieting and kept tweaking my diet and workouts until I hit my perfect peak.  I went into that show without any bloating, Liquid Sunrayz gave me the perfect color, and Saleyla had fixed my suit for me last minute while in Vegas.  Everything was working out for the best and it all fell into place when I was moved to the center during the first callouts. 

Talk about an amazing feeling!  Hearing my name being called out for the 1st place trophy and IFBB pro card was surreal!  I can't even explain how I felt except that I wanted to cry and throw up all at the same time.  I went to IHOP after the contest and got my long awaited pancake platter and then realized that my off-season had just started....There aren't any pro shows for physique until next year...so now what?  I guess I'll just try not to get fat.