Prep Diaries: Why I Decided to Compete

November 14, 2019

2:00 PM

It's been 6 weeks since I competed in my first bikini bodybuilding competition...I genuinely cannot believe it's only been that long. I feel like that was a lifetime ago! But I want to get down to the very nitty-gritty of this lifestyle. Many people will talk about the glamour of it all but never really show the whole truth...

That being said, there was so much more involved than I could have ever imagined, and I’m not even talking about the diet and exercise aspect of it. But I digress...here we go back to the beginning...

Preparing to Prepare

Ever since I really got into lifting my freshman year of college, I thought that bikini competitors were the best of the best. Like, these women were goddesses to me, and I honestly never thought I would get to a point in my life where I could look like them never mind compete.

It wasn’t until I started working with my coach (see “Which Coach is My Coach”) that a little feeling of hope started to arise that maybe, just maybe, I could aspire to be one of these women myself.

I started out with my coach as a lifestyle client first because after years of doing it on my own, I just wasn’t seeing any change. I was very unhappy with how I looked and was continuously having bingeing episodes. Being a lifestyle client first was the perfect transition into competition prep because while it wasn’t as strict as prep, it did give me the foundation for that lifestyle.

After a month of being a lifestyle client and seeing significant results, I started thinking more and more about competing especially with my coach being a competitor herself. As I was losing weight, I started to see more and more the muscle that I had put on in the last few years. Seeing this muscle, I started to think, “hey, I do kind of look like those women I’ve always admired…interesting...”

...“hey, I do kind of look like those women I’ve always admired…interesting...”

Before Deciding

Once this idea of competing entered my head, I started doing my research on things to consider before actually taking the leap.

• Diet: The obvious thing for me to first consider was if I could continue to manage my diet the way I was and the answer was a very clear “yes”. I was already tracking macros consistently and found that it was extremely easy for me. Having tracked for a few years before combined with having a type A personality, turning food into numbers was actually...well...fun for me. I loved knowing exactly what I was eating and furthermore, I could be creative with it and still eat the foods I loved.

• Training regiment: I knew that the amount of time I spent at the gym would increase so I had to make sure I could fit that into my daily schedule. Luckily for me, I was able to do my cardio before work and lift afterwards without too much trouble. I could even get a workout in during lunch if I absolutely needed to so it actually was possible for me to be in the gym for three hours a day.

• Funding: This factor was HUGE when making the decision to compete. Competing is extremely expensive...you have to pay for your coach, maybe a separate posing coach, registration fee, your competition suit, your tan, show day hair and makeup, waxing, and heels. Not to mention all the food you’re consuming as well as the supplements you’re probably taking as well. I have never done the total of what I paid because I don’t even want to THINK about that, but from the small list I just mentioned, you can easily be looking at over $1500. Woof.

• Lack of Social Life: This one is also an obvious thing to consider, but something I didn’t know would be affected SO much. Because you’re at the gym 3 hours a day, at work 8 hours a day, and then trying to prep meals and oh yeah, there’s also sleep...it pretty much leaves you with little to no time to have a social life. On top of that, social events almost always revolve around food and alcohol so that makes it extra hard to hang out with friends and family.

Taking the Leap

But the stars seemed to align for me...I received a promotion so I could financially afford the show. I already had the most amazing coach. I already had the muscle foundation to be competitive, and I was single so there was no one I had to be accountable for.

I knew that if I didn’t compete now, I would never have the opportunity to do so again.

I knew that if I didn’t compete now, I would never have the opportunity to do so again. Folks, let me tell you, for the first time in my entire life, I was 100% sure of my decision. I told my coach I wanted to compete and it was like a weight lifted off my shoulders. I had a clear purpose in my life and I KNEW that I was meant to do this.

My entire life prepared me for this competition. I was ready...

So raise raise Skinny Peppermint Mocha (because I’m currently obsessed with all things peppermint)…

...Here’s to Health. Cheers.

Stay tuned for more Prep Diary posts! If you have anything specific you’d like to know about my competition experience, feel free to comment below.