the new 'fad' diet

there is a new 'fad' diet out there. the new atkins, the new south beach... its called the 'show prep' diet.

as you probably know i am an active member on a few bodybuilding boards. and by my nature i am a supportive individual who wants to see everyone around her live up to his/her potential and rise to any and all occasions. sounds pretty good right? well maybe not.

you see the bodybuilding forum is home to a few different types of personalities. simply; the fan, the weekend warrior and the competitive athlete. on one of my boards, the environment is very supportive and the competitive athletes are championed by, for the most part, the rest of the board. from time to time a weekend warrior will catch the 'fever' and throw his or her hat into the competitive ring.

well the latest trend has me concerned. concerned because i realize now that my natural inclination is doing people more of a disservice than a service. in the last little while we have had a lot more board members who are in excess of 40lbs overweight throwing their hat into the competitive ring. now allow me to fully qualify the severity of that decision. i am not talking, in most cases, about 40lbs to stage weight... but rather 40lbs above where they SHOULD be starting their contest diet.

these people are trying to lose 60-80 lbs in 20+ weeks. standard show prep is not a healthy way to lose a few pounds. we are talking about, some pretty extreme measures in order to get down to the level of conditioning that competition is about. so we have these people crash dieting and its got to be even more unhealthy for them than it is for the rest of us.

okay im not liking where this sounds like its going. now it sounds like maybe i think i am all of that. don't get me wrong i am not all of that... i know my faults, i am aware of my shortcomings. but im also aware that i am indirectly setting these people up for failure. they, for the most part, emulate the focus and determination of the competitive athlete. which is great... except when it gets them to step on stage when they clearly aren't in contest shape. so far the audiences have been well behaved and forgiving... but we have all been to shows where there are people who heckle... and believe me it isnt pretty.

its not only unfair to the out of shape competitor, who for the most part should be applauded for getting into the best shape of their life. but it is also unfair for the competition who have struggled to come in shredded to the bone. all that hardwork and they have to get compared to someone, who for all intensive purpose, looks as though they did not diet.

now it would appear that some of these people on the board, or this board in particular, respect my opinion. and thus i realize now, i have to be a bit more responsible in my actions. i have to learn how to be supportive of their desires to lose weight... but also how to tactfully steer them away from the stage, when they aren't ready.

of course the other reality is... at this point in my prep. i really should be responsible for no one's actions but my own.

just under 8

yup that's right just under 8 weeks out. sitting at around 16% with best guess a good 12lbs still to go.

the routine production has begun in earnest and already, two weeks in, the music and choreography has changed entirely. i know my coach... he wants this years routine to blow the doors off of what we did last year. and if you know me... you know thats exactly what i want too.

the prep has started to get challenging. my day routinely begins around 5:30 am with a trip to the gym, most days for a.m cardio. unfortunately my day is also routinely ending around 11 pm. i am definately not getting the rest i need. work has been insanely busy and i frequently find myself still at work at 7 pm. i have been cancelling more evening appointments with my clients than i make. i am still getting to the gym to do my workouts but that is also contributing to the late nights.

in order to take my body where it needs to go we are currently running 3 no carb days per week. since i'm frequently asked if that is really no carb or if i get vegetables allow me to address that now. first yes, i do get vegetables however there is a ceiling on the carb intake from those vegetable sources. secondly i would like to know who exactly is out there running a pure protein, no carb diet and what fawkin roto-rooter type laxative program are they running to keep the plumbing moving smoothly????

interestingly enough, my training has not suffered as much as i feared it might with all the no carb days. perhaps its more about my tenacious nature than anything else. i've been having more workouts that end with me feeling completely spent and in desperate need of a power nap in the ladies locker room. but even from last time things are looking better. the hams are coming in nicely, i finally have both sides of the horseshoe on my triceps... and i'm even happy with the definition showing in what little calves i have.

work is a bitter pill and that is a situation that HAS to be addressed as soon as this show is over.

i have so much more i want to share with you. i hope i can find some more time this week to post up. time... its one thing i just can't seem to find enough of. hey isn't that a song lyric??

have the best day you can!!

in the land of a.m cardi-uggggh

a scant 10 weeks out. starting to feel the effects of 16 weeks of dieting. tired, cranky, weak and easily irritated. a virtual pleasure to be around.

i have an appointment on wednesday with my diet guy to make the next series of changes to take us in the final approach. currently sitting at 151lbs and 3 weeks ago i was 19% at 155. best guess i am currently in the neighbourhood of 17%. the mirror is starting to be my friend.

a couple of pics for your viewing pleasure. the first march 11 at 155lbs and the second march 25 at 152lbs.

sorry to have been such a stranger.