Could this be my next challenge? (w/pictures)
smarionette
Posts: 260 Member
So, I'm Fat. Been that way for a while. BUT I'm well on my way to being Not Fat. This is kinda new, exciting and scary. I always like a challenge, and tend to perform well when I have a date and a goal. I went from running nothing, to running half marathons. I've recently taken up CrossFit and have been liking the challenge there too.
And a seed of a very scary idea has pretty firmly taken root. Why not see about joining an open class bikini competition? I see there are a fair number in the NYC tristate area, which is pretty easy to get to. I see that of all of the various figure/fitness competitions bikini for now seems fairly approachable. Most importantly I see there is a group of women who actually do this that I can poll for advice, and (thanks to the anonymous nature of the internet) unvarnished opinions as to if there is any hope for me.
So ladies, here is what I looked like just over a year ago
Here is where I'm at now
And for giggles, here are what my shoulders are looking like
So the overall weight difference is in the vicinity of 40lbs, bf% change probably close to 10%, clothing went from 16/18 to 10/12. I'm currently (as of this morning) 173 with a 35%bf. Rather high I know, but as I said, I'm well on my way.
So ladies - Is there hope? Do any of you have a similar story? Any recommendations for places to start?
And a seed of a very scary idea has pretty firmly taken root. Why not see about joining an open class bikini competition? I see there are a fair number in the NYC tristate area, which is pretty easy to get to. I see that of all of the various figure/fitness competitions bikini for now seems fairly approachable. Most importantly I see there is a group of women who actually do this that I can poll for advice, and (thanks to the anonymous nature of the internet) unvarnished opinions as to if there is any hope for me.
So ladies, here is what I looked like just over a year ago
Here is where I'm at now
And for giggles, here are what my shoulders are looking like
So the overall weight difference is in the vicinity of 40lbs, bf% change probably close to 10%, clothing went from 16/18 to 10/12. I'm currently (as of this morning) 173 with a 35%bf. Rather high I know, but as I said, I'm well on my way.
So ladies - Is there hope? Do any of you have a similar story? Any recommendations for places to start?
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you are doing good. Take it slow and get a firm foundation of Fitness. Don't cheat by dieting down, get the diet + exercise routine down together and don't quit.
Since you have time, start to focus an a skin care and exfoliation regimen so that you have it down pat once you are ready to rock your bod on a stage.
Keep your upper and lower body training even, please don't become a top heavy barbie with no *kitten*.
best wishes and happy training! - coach teresa0 -
Thanks for the reply! I've been trying to keep my top and bottom fairly even as I've been losing weight. With the crossfit we've been doing a lot of lifts and the ones I'm most lacking in seem to be strict press and bench press. I'm progressing pretty well with my dead lift, cleans, jerks, squats etc. While not a traditional lifting regimen my box always has some sort of skills/strength portion before the WOD because of the owner's background in traditional lifting. My exercise routine is currently 2x a week crossfit, 3-4x a week running (sometimes long and slow, other times 5x400s etc) and I try to get at least a bw or lifting session in there somewhere to cover any muscle groups that feel lacking after the crossfit.
I'm currently eating at about a 500cal deficit until the fall race season starts up where I will have to eat more just to meet some of my goals. Honestly the food side of the equation is what I struggle with the most. I'm struggling to meet appropriate macros, or even really figure them out. My goal is set up 40carb/30protein/30fat right now, but a lot of times I gravitate more towards 40/25/35 or even lower on the protein.0 -
Hi Smarionette!
It all starts with that nagging, slightly scary idea! Anything is possible if you put your mind to it but I would also agree with Busywater to take it slow. You're doing an awesome job - keep it up and do what works best for you to stay motivated!
I have a very similar mindset to you - it's tough for me to train if I'm not training for SOMETHING. After 13 half-marathons, a full-marathon, and a triathlon... I finally ran myself into an injury. (It was my own fault/improper training, I'm certainly not suggesting that injuries are inherent in running!) I took some time off and then ran another half but I still wasn't ready to get deep into running again... I knew that I needed a goal to keep me active and give me a reason to track my diet... enter bodybuilding.
Once I made the decision to compete, I spent 6 months in a heavy weight training cycle and trying to start eating 'cleaner.' I started my official show prep right around 30% bodyfat with 30 pounds to lose and planned for a 16-week cut. I won't recommend this as a starting point for others though. I had to diet so aggressively for so long that I rebounded post-show... hard. I competed in figure and bikini for my first show which was in April 2013. My progress pics and pics from the show are in my pics on my profile. Sorry I don't know how to add them to a thread!
After the show, life and the aforementioned rebound happened. I didn't have any plans to compete again right away, attempted training for another half but my injury is still an issue, and then took a month off altogether for a trip to India. I'm currently back in the gym and back to a prep. I'm 15 weeks out from my next show and hoping to come in leaner. This time around, I notice that I'm truly enjoying the process a lot more!
Also be aware of what you're getting into. Prepping for a show takes an enormous amount of self-discipline. As a former runner, I can tell you that, for me, prepping for a show was more difficult than training for a marathon. The training comparable (in difficulty and time commitment) but the prep-diet is a whole other beast. For 12 weeks, you will think about your training, food, and impending show ALL THE TIME. It becomes all-consuming because a good prep will impact every single area of your life. And then it's over. If you had what some runners call post-race depression after your first half, you might be familiar with this. It's an awesome feeling of accomplishment but you might also feel a little lost.
In short, if competing is something you want to do then set your sights on it! Just make sure that you give yourself plenty of time to prepare and set yourself up for success.0 -
I think it could be a 12-18 month goal, but a competition certainly isn't in the 6-12 month range for me, I know I've just too far to go. I spent part of the morning looking at the LiveFit program, and while I don't necessarily know that I'm up for the diet portion of that right now (sooo many egg whites lol!) the workout would be nice. I've recently changed gyms to one even closer to work, so the chances of me going in the morning will vastly improve, then I can keep up my evening run/crossfit.
All in all I'm really hoping that the increased lifting and keeping working on getting my macros under control will help. I seem to be of a body type to be muscular but time will tell ultimately, and maybe I'll keep posting progress pictures here as I go.0 -
My coach says that a healthy rate of loss while prepping for a comp is 1lb / week. I started prep at 150lbs, 26% body fat (dexa), and stepped on stage 26 weeks later at 14.3% body fat (dexa scan) and 126.6lbs.
best advice I could give is to lift heavy, and lift often and try to get your maintenance calories as high as they can go. the more you can maintain at , the easier it will be to cut. if you're maintaining at 2000, depending on how stubborn the fat is, expect to be in the 1100-1200 range with cardio daily by the end.
Right now I'm aiming for 1lb per week and I'm not even prepping for anything other than looking good! I've been looking at lifting more, and trying to figure out what kind of schedule I'm going to be able to maintain realistically. I've been enjoying my evening commute being a run, so I'm thinking I might try to do a morning weight session a couple times a week to get back into it. Sadly I've never been much of a morning person, but hey, I've also never been a fit person and that is changing...0 -
Re : Egg whites, there are purists who believe you've gotta have 'em from the egg itself, but I'm not one of those.
MuscleEgg. Google it. Buy it. Love it.0 -
Re : Egg whites, there are purists who believe you've gotta have 'em from the egg itself, but I'm not one of those.
MuscleEgg. Google it. Buy it. Love it.
I am intrigued and slightly terrified...I might have to find a show and go as a spectator to see if I can find a sample...0 -
I have to second the muscle egg! I like the chocolate mint flavor!0
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Haha, I hope you ladies won't be offended if I save the increased egg white diet until after my Miami vacation!
I'm struggling with the idea of going back to maintenance calories. I know that if I do so and stick to lean proteins I should start seeing some good muscle development, but I'm a bit terrified of putting any weight back on. It was bad enough when we got a new scale for the house and its calibration differed from the one I had been using at the gym...0 -
I think you are on the right track! I just began my journey to my first bikini competition a few weeks ago and my first competition is this November!
I started at 160 and am down to 153 (I'm 6 ft tall). I'm eating more now that I ever have (goal is 2200 calories a day and doing a macrodiet). At first it was hard to eat all the food, but since my body adjusted to me going to the gym 6 days a week, I'm hungry for all of it! Myfitnesspal has helped me with my diet in so many ways. I now know the breakdown of the foods that I'm putting into my body. It's helped me make better choices on food. And it's helped me learn what my body is craving for. I thought that I was a sugar addict, but it turns out that my body was just craving the fats. So I've started eating natural almond butter or peanut butter to curb when I get a craving.
Get yourself a good mentor and when you start your prep period, make sure that you have help with posing! Good luck!0 -
Well I met with my Crossfit coach, who is a former bodybuilder competitor, to at least talk a bit about getting some of this fat and weight gone. We've pretty aggressively switched up my macros (130g protein, 125g carbs, 50g fat) and I've been sticking to it as best I can. Not perfect, but generally in those ballparks. In the past week I've dropped 3lbs, and I don't think it is just water weight (I was eating at a deficit before...now I'm eating at a much more significant one). It has been hard to keep up with the exercise as I'm getting used to the additional restriction, especially that of the carbs. I am finding I have to be very, very mindful of leaving myself something for a carb laden "treat" to have 30-60 minutes before a cardio session to keep from just plain running out of fuel. Honestly the rapid weight loss worries me a bit, but nothing is seeming to sag or look like loose skin, so I'll stick with it a little longer.
My workout routine has me swimming 2-3x a week, running 4x a week (half marathon training cycle), lifting 2x a week, and crossfit 1x. Generally for now my lifting is just peeking at whatever they are doing at the box for the daily strength routine and doing that. As programming has been very olympic and compound lift heavy lately, I know I'm hitting the major groups. Some days I'm working out 2x, some days just once. This is not a prescribed routine, just what I'm doing on my own. Also, silly as it sounds I've transitioned to mostly standing at my desk rather than sitting, and I'm wearing a minimalist shoe with 0 toe drop.
Here are my latest pictures, please pardon the crap quality. I fail at selfies. I think I can see a bit of change in the abdominal area, but my arms look mostly the same. I really need to take a side picture for my legs, as my glutes are starting to round nicely.
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There's a HUGE difference in your mid-section! Way to go
I also have to plan some quick-digesting carbs (usually fruit or rice cakes) before my second workout of the day. For me, it's hard to get motivated to do it without the carbs. Sounds crazy, lol.
Listen to your body and if you need a rest day, take it. You only get one per lifetime so take care of it! Also, with 9 workouts a week, be sure to give yourself one complete rest day. :flowerforyou:0 -
There's a HUGE difference in your mid-section! Way to go
I also have to plan some quick-digesting carbs (usually fruit or rice cakes) before my second workout of the day. For me, it's hard to get motivated to do it without the carbs. Sounds crazy, lol.
Listen to your body and if you need a rest day, take it. You only get one per lifetime so take care of it! Also, with 9 workouts a week, be sure to give yourself one complete rest day. :flowerforyou:
Welcome back!
I've kinda fallen off the strength training wagon lately as I lucked my way into a free full marathon entry. I've been maintaining the crossfit, and making sure to keep some bodyweight exercises in there, but I've had a LOT less time with the barbell than I should be putting in and I'm starting to feel the loss of strength from all the darn cardio. Still seeing progress in terms of muscle definition, but not as much or as fast. Come the weekends I've not been good with keeping the carbs down, but how can you when you go run 10+ miles? Hopefully once marathon training ends I can get back on the strength training. I might even have to do a clean bulk for a few months to regain the lost muscle
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Yea, I gained weight during training for all of my half marathons (13) and was able to maintain but not lose while training for the only full I ever ran. It's a great experience to have! Don't skimp on your marathon-training plan. If you stick to it, you should have no problem on race-day. (Assuming that your plan is sound of course!) I really like the book Marathoning for Mortals for those new to long distance. It sounds like you're well on your way but it might be worth a read.
I'm kind of jealous! I can't run anymore... it's been a mental block ever since my show. I did my first show after a knee injury from running that needed significant time to heal. Have fun with the training and especially the race - it really is such an awesome experience!
Thanks for the welcome back! I'm trying to compete again in the spring but want to do a better (more conservative) prep this time around so I joined a training team and am forcing myself to take my cheat meals. As long as I follow my coach's plan, I shouldn't need to be here. It's been a roller coaster though... how easily my cheat meal turned into a cheat week! I had a rough week last week so I'm back for some extra accountability but not sure for how long.0 -
I've managed not to gain weight with the race training, but we will see what happens when all I want to do is fall face first into a trough of food! At this point I'm hovering around 163, and I know if I want to compete I'll likely need to get down closer to 120, which is going to be hard as heck and honestly I'm not quite sure I can get there. I'm thinking about a dexa scan to get a real idea what my lbm is and figure a competition weight from there...
My eye is still on a bikini comp, I just need to figure out how to get there!0
