4 more sleeps until I am officially dieting. Why am I so excited about this dieting caper?
I’ve been sitting at a higher than preferable body fat % for some time now, and I am aching to get lean and mean again! So, I’ve successfully completed “Phase 1″ of my plan!
For the last 9 months, my aim has been to add some muscle to my light frame. My first effort was a dismal failure. I hired a coach from Perth back in June, and ended up very disappointed. I know of some people who seem very happy with his work but for me he was unable to tailor a program to suit my needs – at the time I was not well but yet to find out what, exactly, was the problem. I was constantly exhausted and had massive cravings. After months of research, tests and doctor/specialist telephone calls and visits, I discovered I had something naturopaths call adrenal exhaustion. I later discovered from my endocronologist that I also have low thyroid function. The symptoms were affecting me so badly that at one stage I contemplated never competing again.
When I contacted this trainer I was 12 months out from my competition and needing to add muscle if I were to remain competitive. His baffling advice was that I needed to lose 40mm (a lot) of body fat as soon as possible, and so he provided me an extreme 800-1000 calorie diet in which to do so. With the health issues I was experiencing I was unable to follow it for more than a few days before I would fall in a heap, exhausted and unwell. I tried on many occasions to explain what my trainer referred to as my (inverted commas) “health problems”. He conveyed to me that he believed I wasn’t ‘mentally strong enough’ to make this happen. Having competed on 5 previous occasions, I KNOW what it takes to get there, and I KNOW I am disciplined enough to do so. My body was already under stress and this very low calorie diet was compounding the problem. In the words of a previous trainer whom I ran the diet past, it was totally unecessary and would play havoc with my hormones (atually, she said it would f*ck them up). I could not (and neither could anyone else I have spoken with on the subject) fathom WHY he would put me on such a diet, 12 months out from a contest when my ultimate goal was to put on muscle. After receiving a pretty patronizing email from him, I decided he wasn’t the right trainer for me. I’m just very glad I didn’t waste much time pursuing that avenue further.
I found my current trainer, Richie Smyth, quite by accident, and have been happily working with him since mid October. So, after a slow start, I have made it to a good place, and one I am happy with at this stage of proceedings. My health has improved markedly, thanks to supplementation, medication, a great medical specialist, a good diet with plenty of calories, and my 2 wonderful staff members Shar and Lisa who enable me to have more time to allow for rest and relaxation.
Phase 2 will be my actual contest preparation, with the aim to shed body fat, whilst holding onto my new muscle. This starts this Thursday!!! Holding the muscle has been a problem for me in the past. I can get lean, but end up losing too much muscle at the same time. So, that is my goal for this next phase and Richie has a specific plan in mind and it will be different to what I have done previously. At least I know we are on the same page. I have a very clear picture of what I want to look like on stage this year.
Phase 3, will be post comp – holding on to (and hopefully improving) my condition through to my October competitions.
Phase 4 will be off season, staying a bit leaner this time, while once again adding more muscle – now that I know how to do it! And I will have 8-9 months this time around.
So, there’s a breakdown of the next 12-18 months!
Hilary, yes, a spa will be just lovely – I could use one right now!! My legs are SO sore and I expect them to be even worse tomorrow. I do have a massage on Tuesday though, and as I haven’t had one for a month (been meaning to but haven’t gotten around to it), and I can’t wait! Wednesday night we have our dinner at Stefano’s – an ultra special restaurant which is why I chose it for my ‘last supper’ 
Today I did some cardio outdoors as it was just lovely out. We also took some flowers out to my dad’s grave, as it would have been his 68th birthday today. 18 years ago, wow, where does the time go?
Jodi thank you for the lovely comments and excellent observations on the previous comp photos!! Like I said, a judge perhaps?
I will be meeting Kerry at the gym tomorrow, and I believe she has dropped 3kg since I saw her last!
I think it’s time for bed, hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!
“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”
Michael Jordan
Basketball Player
