Losing fat is difficult enough under regular conditions, but trying to lose enough to step on a figure/bikini stage is a whole other situation. It is often overwhelming for first time competitors but interestingly enough, can get harder from show to show.
It can get harder for a couple of reasons. If you dieted too hard the first time, there could be some issues with your thyroid acting properly. If you took “off-season” too seriously, there could be more fat than the first round. And, unfortunately, as we get older dropping the fat gets harder and harder. But if it were easy, the majority of the population wouldn’t be overweight.
Getting started in competing takes a huge lifestyle change. It requires a degree of dedication and attention to detail that, chances are, has never been done before. Typically, when you are trying to drop some fat, you hit the gym a little more, the bar a little less and throw in a diet pill. But, if you want to get on stage and do well you will have to do a lot more than that!
The number of women who don’t have to change their life to prepare for a competition are few and far between…and we hate them. The rest of us have to work hard, very hard. In addition to strength training, there is exhausting cardio, relentless dieting and killer restraint.
My first show was pretty easy to stay on track because the process was exciting and I was scared not to. I was so meticulous about my diet I picked the shredded carrots out of my salad because they had “sugar.” I spent a minimum of two hours a day at the gym. I did a major rebound! Cheese biscuits, pasta and cookies were regular on my menu. Not to mention, I took some advice to the extreme, and during prep for the next show thought I could slack off a bit with the diet. The results were not good.
That seems to be a constant though…a lot of competitors go through a roller coaster of shows they hit and shows they miss. I had to come to a place where I stopped taking everyone’s advice to heart and learned what worked for me. What I could get away with and when I had to put my nose to the pavement.
While taking a fat burner is a part of nearly every competitor’s preparation, it doesn’t make the training any easier. There is a huge misconception that taking a fat burner means that you don’t have to work as hard. It is an aid, not a solution.
Spend the time and do the research to find out what works the best for you! The diet and training that Monica Brant uses is not what works for all of the pro girls. Listen to your body (but not your stomach!) it will help you know if a regime is working or if you need to try something else.