Frumpy Mom to Future Figure Competitor – 1.5 years

I have been on MFP for 1.5 years now (this is my second account…) and it seemed time to do a progress thread.

I want to begin by saying that I am not an expert by any means, nor do I claim to be one. I just wanted to share my story so far and hopefully someone else may realize that they are capable of more than they imagined. I know there are a crapload of people here on MFP that go about this in many different ways…but this way worked/works for me and I wanted to pass the information I have accumulated and tested out along. I also just wanted to write all of this down so I can return to it from time to time to remind myself why I am doing this and how far I have come.

When I joined MFP 1.5 years ago (August, 2011) I was a frumpy mom of 2 little adorable girls. Almost all of the other moms I knew were a little overweight so I seemed to think it was just the norm and I should just accept it. At my peak I was 163 lbs and had a body fat % of what I can only estimate at about 30% or more. I felt awful, I hated how my clothes fit, getting dressed made me cranky and I was just an overall unhappy person with how I was physically. For some reason though I was hoping it would change with little to no effort from myself. I was deluding myself into thinking it wasn’t my fault. That life was too busy to make any significant changes. I was very wrong. For me it seemed that the more I have gotten my eating and exercising in check the more other parts of my life are falling into place. I am overall a happier person and I feel great. My daughters love it when I flex for them and then they flex their little biceps (haha). I am more organized because all my logging seems to have helped me become a better planner. I am being active and actually having fun now instead of being a bump on a log. I could go on and on about the positive changes in my life but this is getting to be a long enough post, lol.

I also want to add that I have had some major life changes in the last year and a half but although life has been complicated I have done my best to stick to my new lifestyle. I know it is a cheesy line but it is true – “If I can do it then anyone can do it!”. Was all of this easy? HELL NO…but it was worth it.

So after all of that I am currently 12.5 weeks away (out) from my first figure competition. It is an open competition and I am entering to win…not just compete (shoot for the stars!). I have hired a competition prep trainer who is creating my daily menu full of super clean foods, will work out with me regularly to ensure I am using proper form, etc., will teach me how to properly execute all of the required poses, and will be at my disposal at all times if I have any questions. This is all new to me so I want to be as prepared as I can be.

Here are some things that I have learned along the way and that I truly believe (not everyone will agree with me, I expect that):

Depending on what you are hoping to achieve it is almost always calories in vs. calories out. There are some special circumstances/complications but 95% of the time this is all it boils down to.

Don’t be impatient, everything worth doing takes time.

Don’t white knuckle it, make changes that you can live with. If you told me I could never have chocolate again you better be armed.
Use common sense people, it’s not rocket science. Once you stop trying to fool yourself you will start to see real results.

In Place Of A Road Map, search it here on MFP…it will change your view on the entire process and will (in my own opinion) put you on the right path to achieving your goals. TDEE / BMR are things you should become familiar with. 20% below BMR seems reasonable for most circumstances.

You can fool your diary but you cannot fool your body – it knows.

Take it to the next level, set a goal that is beyond what you think you can do and DO IT! To do it, depending on your personality type, set a goal and/or many smaller goals along the way.

You will get out of it exactly what you put into it.

Excuses are a virus that multiply.

I have been there, I can relate. I made excuses. I burned 100 calories and rewarded myself by eating 500. I ate below 1200 for a while - until I realized thankfully that it was not sustainable and I was not fixing any of my bad habits by doing so.

All things in moderation. If you like something then EAT IT! Just work it into your allowances and enjoy life. I refuse to give up chocolate. I love chocolate cake, hot chocolate, chocolate chips, brownies, cookies, etc. 

And some of my favorite quotes (I have no idea who wrote most of them):

“Loving your body only when it is in perfect shape is like loving your kids only when they are good.”

“Many things aren’t equal but everyone gets the same 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. We make time for what we truly want.”

“Work until your idols become your rivals”

“Oh, you’re a girl only wanting to tone? Please explain to me how easy it is to get big”

“You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world and there’s still going to be somebody who hates peaches” – Dita Von Teese

Here are some Before vs After pics to see my progress so far (I am nowhere near done!!!)