Low fat/low cal for contest prep??

[amyfit]

I decided to do a competition in May. My main competition isn't until Oct. Last Oct. I did the low carb thing and it worked very well, of course, I felt like crap. Anyway, I thought I'd do this comp to get more experience and follow the lowfat/low cal approach and see how it affects me. What experiences have you all had with this approach and which approach do you prefer to use to get in contest shape??
Thanks for the info!!

Amy

[Nicole]

I have always used the low-fat/low cal approach but I felt like crap on that, too. I don't think precontest dieting is healthy for you no matter what approach you use. That is the price we pay! Actually, I am doing low-carb now and I feel really good! I am of course eating more fat and protein. Low-cal works but I always seem to hold onto a little fat no matter how much cardio I did. I was doing 2 hours a day for 6 weeks. I am going to try the low-carb as prescribed by MsFit and see how that works. I am 11 weeks out right now and have already lost 7 lbs. I was always hungry on low-cal/low-fat.

A guy I talked to who did a show a couple months ago was only taking in 3% of his total calories from carbs. He ate a lot of fish and a lot of almonds for his fat. He said he dropped a lot and got pretty ripped. I am going to give it a try.

If low-carb has worked for you in the past, you at least know you have something to fall back on. Just try eating a little more fat to keep your energy up.

The only problem is everybody's body is different and what works for one person may not work for another. Try one for a few weeks and see what happens. Make sure to journal everything, including how you felt that day. Hope this helped!

[amyfit]

That helped tremendously. Keep on going with MsFit's advice, she's awesome!! I followed her and Todd Blue for my Oct. comp. And if they tell me to do the same for this one, I will. I just didn't know how the other method worked and if it was as good.
Good luck on your contest!! What's it called??

Amy

[Nicole]

My show is April 6 in Boulder, CO. It is called the Northern Colorado.

Good luck with yours. Are you going to post a journal??

[amyfit]

I need something and someone to vent to!! He he he! Seriously, I found the last one I did extrememly helpful. Everybody is so encouraging! Good luck with your show!!!

Amy

[Nicole]

If you post a journal, let me know. It is alway encouraging to know someone else is going through the same thing as you! I have been posting mine. When do you start your diet??

[amyfit]

I loved my journal last time I did one! My diet doesn't start until Feb. 23. So I've got another month to (hopefully) put on a touch more muscle. A friend of mine has advised me to cut out cardio for the next month and train REALLY intensely! He helped me for my last contest, and I want to do him proud, so for the next month, no cardio and really hit the weights hard!! I didn't really plan to do another show this soon, but my boss talked me into it. I wanted to give myself a year and go into the previous contest bigger and better. I'm hoping to still do that, but I know that doing this will set me back about 3 months. I'm hoping that this contest will help me learn even more about this sport and myself, so I can still do what I orignally planned to do. Win the overall this coming Oct. Who knows maybe I do really well in this one too!

Amy