18 Weeks of Dieting and My NPC Bikini Debut
Last Saturday I debuted as an NPC bikini competitor at the NPC Midwest Championship in St. Louis. This post will be short and sweet with pictures, a few stats, and a bit about what I'm doing this week. In short, it was a whirlwind weekend! I came, I saw, I kind of conquered (I didn't place, but getting on stage didn't kill me), and now I'm decompressing from it all!
Final Stats
Here's a synopsis of what has transpired over the last 4 months! I didn't actually weigh myself on Show Day, but 141.5 was the lowest weight the scale hit during Peak Week. I'm guessing most of the weight I've gained back is actually just water weight. I'm back to guzzling a gallon a day.
Outtakes
Now for the pictures! These are just what I was able to snap on my phone throughout the weekend.
This is how the weekend evolved. Friday night - spray tan; Saturday - show time, Sunday - back to your average Jo!
The final package! This was Saturday afternoon and by that time some of the spray tan had rubbed off my stomach so I have a strange stripe thing going on - not to worry, I got it touched up before the night show on Saturday night!
The best coaches a girl could ask for! @jamylynn68 and @amyehinger - both with http://www.glamgirlbikini.com. If you are considering competing, I can't recommend these coaches enough!
Do you have a Glam squad? After this weekend, I do. My favorite part of the weekend was getting to know and hanging out with these amazing ladies - each more beautiful on the inside than the outside. And that's saying something!
The Week After
What happens the week after a fitness competition? Life goes back to normal. I've got a deload workout plan that involves lifting four times this week and doing LISS (low intensity steady state cardio) six times this week. My calories jumped up from about 1200 calories to 1600 calories. We are officially in improvement season so the calories will just keep going up and up for several months, likely above 2000 calories again! The professional photos are starting to roll in, and I requested feedback from the head bikini judge. Emotionally, it feels a little like the day after Christmas. All the excitement and glitter are gone. So I'm focusing on enjoying a more relaxed groove and eating more variety of food.
In all, I am so pleased with how this competition prep went. I went all in on a reverse diet for about six months to prime my body for weight loss and recomposition, and it was so worth it. I NEVER would have gotten as lean as I did or achieved the results I did without reversing. In fact, I think I would have never even made it to the show without reversing first. It took courage and there were several times during those six months of reverse dieting when I was sure it was all for naught, but it worked. And coming out of this show I’m healthy, uninjured, and ready to reverse again and see what the next round of reversing and dieting will yield!
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