Is this an extreme competition diet?

[carbonelle]

Ok, here's the background....
My friend just competed in her very first fitness competition and so I got a first-hand account of the daily things she had to do to get ready for the stage. I've done a ton of reading with stickies and am currently onto Stage 3 of NROL4W. i totally buy into the fact that the cut aspect of getting ready for comp is to showcase all the hard-earned muscle you've put on over the last 6-12+ mths. My friend was 3 mths out before she really started pushing it hard and finally cleaned up her diet. In those last 12 weeks she dropped 25lbs and didn't look out of place on stage and with more muscle on and a few more pounds of fat dropped i think she could've placed.

My issue is with how she dropped the weight. Calories were low (1200-1000 cals) and she was working out 5 days a week (interval classes, cardio machines, kickbox workouts) with cardio and 3 days with weights. She didn't have any dairy, wheat, or fruit in her diet either.

Am i completely off-base to think that this was extreme? Is there a better and less drastic weight to cut without dropping the cals so low? She did leave everything to the last possible minute and she did look good on stage. I'm totally new to comp dieting but i feel like she must've lost a ton of muscle with the low calories and the amount of workouts she did to get the fat off as well.

I thought i would put it out there and to see what you all think

[Simpy]

Calories are crazy low. But the amount of working out seems a little low to me. I usually lift 5-6 days a week when I'm in the midst of comp prep. And the cardio gets upped gradually. At the end, I'm usually doing two cardio sessions a day.

[kimm4]

Ok, here's the background....
My friend just competed in her very first fitness competition and so I got a first-hand account of the daily things she had to do to get ready for the stage. I've done a ton of reading with stickies and am currently onto Stage 3 of NROL4W. i totally buy into the fact that the cut aspect of getting ready for comp is to showcase all the hard-earned muscle you've put on over the last 6-12+ mths. My friend was 3 mths out before she really started pushing it hard and finally cleaned up her diet. In those last 12 weeks she dropped 25lbs and didn't look out of place on stage and with more muscle on and a few more pounds of fat dropped i think she could've placed.

My issue is with how she dropped the weight. Calories were low (1200-1000 cals) and she was working out 5 days a week (interval classes, cardio machines, kickbox workouts) with cardio and 3 days with weights. She didn't have any dairy, wheat, or fruit in her diet either.

Am i completely off-base to think that this was extreme? Is there a better and less drastic weight to cut without dropping the cals so low? She did leave everything to the last possible minute and she did look good on stage. I'm totally new to comp dieting but i feel like she must've lost a ton of muscle with the low calories and the amount of workouts she did to get the fat off as well.

I thought i would put it out there and to see what you all think

Comp dieting is completely individual and you'll get a million different answers. I stay pretty lean off season. The problem is the leaner you are, the harder it becomes to lose the fat...it moves at a snail's pace. I have to be more aggressive with my diet, so I go lower then the norm in my deficit. The good thing about this is I save all my energy for lifting heavy and do very little cardio through my entire prep. This way I'm able to maintain a lot more muscle, because I'm not killing myself with hrs upon hrs of cardio.

There is no need to cut out foods and follow a boring diet. The one's who do this have been told to do this and don't know any better.

A wide variety of foods will help you stick to your plan and make prep a hell of a lot easier.

[carbonelle]

Comp dieting is completely individual and you'll get a million different answers. I stay pretty lean off season. The problem is the leaner you are, the harder it becomes to lose the fat...it moves at a snail's pace. I have to be more aggressive with my diet, so I go lower then the norm in my deficit. The good thing about this is I save all my energy for lifting heavy and do very little cardio through my entire prep. This way I'm able to maintain a lot more muscle, because I'm not killing myself with hrs upon hrs of cardio.

There is no need to cut out foods and follow a boring diet. The one's who do this have been told to do this and don't know any better.

A wide variety of foods will help you stick to your plan and make prep a hell of a lot easier.

That's what I was thinking in terms of cutting out all food. It was egg whites, chicken, tuna, brocolli, asparagus, and brussel sprouts for 12 weeks. She was allowed a serving of fruit and a 1/2 c rice/yam but that went pretty quick. It just seemed to me to be really rigid and boring way to get to her goals as she is following whatever her coach told her to do.

I'm wondering if she had given herself a longer timespan to get stage ready, the meal plan wouldn't have been like this. Is the low calorie (1000 cals) pretty normal to drop to the bodyfat required to be stage ready or can you do more "mini" cuts throughout a year with a smaller deficit as you cut so that there is less muscle mass lost?

I figured i would try and learn from my friend's experience as it seemed pretty miserable existence...lol

[AUTiger13]

Ok, here's the background....
My friend just competed in her very first fitness competition and so I got a first-hand account of the daily things she had to do to get ready for the stage. I've done a ton of reading with stickies and am currently onto Stage 3 of NROL4W. i totally buy into the fact that the cut aspect of getting ready for comp is to showcase all the hard-earned muscle you've put on over the last 6-12+ mths. My friend was 3 mths out before she really started pushing it hard and finally cleaned up her diet. In those last 12 weeks she dropped 25lbs and didn't look out of place on stage and with more muscle on and a few more pounds of fat dropped i think she could've placed.

My issue is with how she dropped the weight. Calories were low (1200-1000 cals) and she was working out 5 days a week (interval classes, cardio machines, kickbox workouts) with cardio and 3 days with weights. She didn't have any dairy, wheat, or fruit in her diet either.

Am i completely off-base to think that this was extreme? Is there a better and less drastic weight to cut without dropping the cals so low? She did leave everything to the last possible minute and she did look good on stage. I'm totally new to comp dieting but i feel like she must've lost a ton of muscle with the low calories and the amount of workouts she did to get the fat off as well.

I thought i would put it out there and to see what you all think

Extreme? I would say stupid. I just wish people would start asking the question WHY? Why do you need to cut fruit out? Why cut out dairy? why would you need two-three hours of cardio a day???

Doing a show isn't about who suffers the most getting ready for it.

Sorry for the rant I am just tired of seeing women go through prep's that are more harmful then good.

[Emma-Leigh]

Extreme? I would say stupid. I just wish people would start asking the question WHY? Why do you need to cut fruit out? Why cut out dairy? why would you need two-three hours of cardio a day???

Doing a show isn't about who suffers the most getting ready for it.

Sorry for the rant I am just tired of seeing women go through prep's that are more harmful then good.

^ this.

[carbonelle]

Thank you ladies!

I was questioning good sense and you have all reassured me that I was right. I was starting to second guess everything I have learnt up until now from this site.

This weekend I had the opportunity to chat with the winner of the figure competition and I posed the said question to her as well.

Her response, she ate steak, avocados, has a cheat meal once a week with a glass of wine, ate carbs etc...it came back to calorie deficit, getting enough protein, and changing up the carb/fats with the leftover calories depending on her workouts. Sounds like what it should be.

Thanks again

[egoatdoor]

It sounds like that diet was given to your friend by a competition trainer. If you decide to compete, avoid that trainer at all costs.

[kfisherx]

The diet she did was COMPLETELY stupid and you watch her go on to binging and freaking out now in the upcoming months. I don't envy her.

Also you say that if she had a few more lbs of muscle and lost more fat she could have placed.... HOW IS THIS GOOD IN ANY WAY??? To your eye she may not have looked horrible but apparently the judges saw the real pictures.

The facts are that she dropped muscle like crazy on her diet and she still had fat. I would call that an epic fail all the way around personally.

[carbonelle]

The diet she did was COMPLETELY stupid and you watch her go on to binging and freaking out now in the upcoming months. I don't envy her.

Also you say that if she had a few more lbs of muscle and lost more fat she could have placed.... HOW IS THIS GOOD IN ANY WAY??? To your eye she may not have looked horrible but apparently the judges saw the real pictures.

The facts are that she dropped muscle like crazy on her diet and she still had fat. I would call that an epic fail all the way around personally.

Yeah, I totally agree. It was a stupid diet. Personally, I think she should've waited for a later competition. I understand having a goal with a timeline etc... but 12 weeks to get ready for competition? Not for me. Thanks for the input--I enjoy your posts!