My Fitness & Weightloss Journey: Part 2 Becoming a Fitness Model

To read the first part of my weightless journey click here

I wouldn’t refer to myself as being a “fitness model” as such but I did compete as a fitness model which I believe are different things. So 3 years ago I had decided to compete in a bodybuilding competition. I felt way in over my head but I thought hey I lost 25kg by myself this couldn’t be THAT hard right?

I found myself a comp prep coach and joined the gym that she worked at to make it all easier. I was so nervous and excited for my first consultation with her and had no idea what to expect! I was wondering if I was even good enough to consider it? It was clear that my main goal was to lose some more fat but I really needed to gain more muscle. My body struggles to gain muscle but I tend to loose and gain fat easily (both a blessing and a curse). We set in place my meal plan and training program which was overwhelming at first looking at all the different meals I had to prep and eat! I thought to myself it was a lot of food and it was! I was curious if so much food would even make me loose more weight. Sure enough it did!

The first week was tough as I found I couldn’t even finish most my meals and was always full. Then it was like my body got used to it and my metabolism kicked up a gear and then I was hungry for every meal! I was weight training 5-6 days a week and cardio everyday. I really enjoyed the training as I had a goal to work towards.

After a few weeks I started to see dramatic results and got some great abs! I struggled with how strict and precise the food was. I also started posing practise which took me a lot of guts to strut around in front of other people in stripper heels. My transformation was so dramatic that I even got attention from some fitness magazines and was featured in them!  Oxygen magazine featured me last year and even though I wasn’t competing it really did feel so nice to have such an amazing publication have me in their magazine! I also ended up being Miss December for a sports model calendar! I felt like I was dreaming!

To give you an idea of my training it looked something like this:

• Monday: Backs & Abs + 20 min HIIT session
• Tuesday: Quads + calves + 20 mi HIIT session
• Wednesday: Legs
• Thursday: active rest day (beach walk)
• Friday: Fasted Cardio + chest and biceps + 20 min HIIT
• Saturday: Active rest day (1 hour beach walk)
• Sunday: Shoulders + Hamstrings

I am a HUGE lover of weights. I have seen firsthand how it can totally change your body. Women need to realise weights won’t make you bulky but toned and trim! Comp day came and I had the biggest buzz I had done it! I ended up doing 3 comps and in the last comp I placed in the top 12 out of nearly 200 girls. I was so happy and proud of myself but in the end I was so relieved when it was over.

Unfortunately competing really takes up your whole life and being that strict is not maintainable. Every moment of everyday your thinking when your next meal is and when your next workout is. It takes a special type of person to compete. I found it a huge mental challenge and I was so critical of my body image even though I was tiny and so toned! Once the season was over and I could eat again I started binge eating and of course my weight went back up (but to a healthy weight) as I was only 11% body fat when I was competing. I made sure I didn’t go crazy as you see a lot of people after comp indulge too much and unfortunately gain a lot of weight (as you could imagine being so strict for so long it’s easy to nuts on the chocolate).

It took me a while to go back to enjoying my healthy lifestyle again and trying to find a balance. My husband didn’t love me competing as he saw how hard I would get on myself and how drained I got in the end. I don’t regret competing for a second it was an incredible experience but now I’m older it isn’t something I would continue. I enjoy having a balance and I follow the 80/20 rule (80% of the time I eat healthy and 20% I have some freedom). I even prepped for a competition last year and looked the best I ever had but I didn’t end up doing it as I realised it isn’t my passion anymore and we also decided to try for a baby a couple of months later. I’m the type of person I always need goals and I think last year I felt stuck so I decided to compete for the wrong reasons. Also if I don’t get to have freedom in moderation I turn into a crazy binge eater! I’m talking blocks of chocolate and banana bread! After competing I made up my own exercise routines with the amazing knowledge my coach taught me! Here is what my routine was like post-comp for years! (I would occasionally change it up of course. You need to keep your body guessing for change!)

• Monday: Chest and Back + 15 min HIIT
• Tuesday: Legs + walk
• Wednesday: Shoulders =15 min HIIT
• Thursday: Arms + 15 min HIIT
• Friday: Glutes and Abs + walk
• Saturday: rest day
• Sunday:  walk

( Please note I am not an exercise physican and fitness is just my passion not my job this is just what works for me!)

Leading a healthy lifestyle means different things to different people. Now that I’ve had Harper I have finally found the perfect balance with food as I no longer have an emotional attachment to it (or maybe I am just too busy haha). Competing is definitely something I look back on and smile but I much prefer the little goals I set for myself now and enjoy time with my bubba and husband as well as aiming to get my fitness back to what it was.

If you are trying to start a healthy lifestyle don’t set a million rules at once, it is too overwhelming and you are more likely to binge like I did! Set 2 small goals every week and you will soon find every little change will add up and you will find a perfect balance in no time.  Goals can be anything from; drink more water, eat more veggies and doing a walk 4 times a week! These goals don’t have to be crazy at the beginning but you will gradually get there. Remember the time will pass anyways so use it wisely! Thinking in this way is how I lost the weight in the first place and kept it off,  you need to see it as a lifelong change and not a 12 week change. Of course over the last 5 years I have fallen off the wagon and gained weight and lost weight but we are only human and it happens. What counts is that whenever you fall off you get right back up and get stuck into it again. Feeling guilty or ashamed never helped anyone so own it and get on with it! If I never looked at it that way I would never of lost 25kg went on to compete and kept the weight off.

I don’t see being a fitness model (or a six-pack) in my future but I do see me getting back to my healthy pre-baby body and I’m going to have fun along the way!! If you have any questions or want daily tips or motivation follow me on instagram or snapchat!

Read Part 3 – My Fit(ish) Pregnancy

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