first competition is over. now what?

Natdabugg7 · 04-30-2008, 10:02 AM

I competed in my first figure competition last saturday and placed 4th. It was an amazing experience and I already plan on doing many more. My next one is going to be in August of this year. So how do I go about taking a month off from cutting and really using this time to my advantage? My main concern is my diet. I have a new workout routine which is heavier weights and less reps. I also dropped my cardio to 4 times a week, 30 minutes each.

-My diet is the same as my contest prep diet. I added in 25 grams of carbs this week and 5 grams of fat. Should I continue doing this? like next week add in an additional 25 grams of carbs and 5 grams of fat?? I am soo lost with how much I should be eatting since my calories were so low for such a long period of time. I don't want to put on any fat.

-1 week out from the show my macro's were:
1,070 calories
17g fat
57g carbs (34 coming from my veggies)
176g protein

-my macro's for this week are:
1,102 calories
21g fat
64g carbs (again 34 coming from veggies)
168g protein

I am 5'8 1/2 and the day of my show I was 128lbs.

Any thoughts, inputs? previous threads for post contest for women?

THANKS! Natalie

tvicemanXXL · 04-30-2008, 02:41 PM

What you are doing is actually a perfect way to ramp your metabolism back up and keeping off as much body fat as possible. Slowly add in more calories, like you are, as your body adjusts.

Natdabugg7 · 05-01-2008, 03:56 AM

thank you very much for responding! I was praying I was doing the right thing since I have read soo many different opinions on it. Do you think I should allow any cheats or refeeds? I am not craving any bad food in particular. I think my body is slowly telling me it just wants MORE of what I am already consuming. LOL.... I have noticed that after 16 weeks of cutting without any cheats my body doesn't have any cravings anymore for crap food. I came to the conclusion my body was chemically able to forget about how processed nasty foods taste.

feel the same?

semper27 · 05-01-2008, 04:40 AM

I agree with Tony. Slowly add things back in the mix in small increments. Too many people have a very bad experience when they go "overboard" with a post contest binge. There's a huge price to pay for this.

Natdabugg7 · 05-01-2008, 12:29 PM

thank you for the verification! I have read many articles about this. (diet reversal I believe it's called)

so do you agree about 100 calories a week? until I am back up to about 1500 calories a day? and do you agree that slowly adding in an additional 25g of carbs and 5g of fats weekly is sufficient enough?

Natdabugg7 · 05-02-2008, 07:43 AM

i had a total binge last night! I was like "natalie! u r not in competition mode right now.. enjoy life a lil' before u start cutting again!" So I had a huge icecream sundae, 3 mini bagels, n a 1/2 bowl cereal (i had to throw out the rest... i literally couldn't finish it) So of course I felt like pure **** after n still do. I wish I could just eat it n enjoy it n move on w/ my life!! Now I am gonna torture myself for probably 2 weeks about this! I either wish I could eat that crap and smile about it so I could actually enjoy it... or I wish I could turn back time and not have done it!

But it is over and done with and I think the only reason I did binge is b/c my calories are still too low for me. So my body is just starving. esp. with my workouts being more intense. So I know I said I was adding my carbs back in slowly on a weekly basis but I thought about this last night as a learning experience and clearly my body is telling me to feed it more and fuel it for my workouts!! So I have come to the conclusion i am going to add back in another carb today and listen to what my body is telling me to do!

my question is do I add this carb to my pre workout meal or post? I personally like post better cuz it gives me something to look foreward to! What are your thoughts? My "diet" would now look like this:

meal 1: 6 egg whites 1/2 cup oatmeal
meal 2: 4oz grilled salmon (pre-workout)
meal 3: protein shake (immediately after lifting.. like while i am walkin off the floor)
meal 4: 4oz grilled chicken, 1 whole grain pita, 2 cups veggies (i don't measure out my veggies... i just pour a crap load in a bowl)
meal 5: 6 egg whites, again 2 cups veggies
meal 6: protein pudding w/ 8 almonds

its roughly 1,182 calories
80g carbs
22g fat
172g protein

wow! sorry this post is sooooooo long!

fitinaz · 05-02-2008, 01:54 PM

Don't beat yourself up for cheating just get back on track. What you are experiencing is completly normal for someone who has dieted hard. One thing that I have learned through experience is to have a plan. After a show (actually right before the show) I write out a menu of healthy eats by including most of the same meals that I have been eating on my diet but just adding a few more calories (like you mentioned earlier) but then I also schedule in a few meals of something that i have been craving. By doing this you are allowing yourself to have some things but still have a clear schedule of what you are going to do next. Keep this in place for as long as it takes, it works!!! Hope this helps you and remember how you are feeling is NORMAL!