Does this sound familiar to anyone? Or do you have absolutely no idea what I’m writing about?
 

Well, these are the thoughts that come from the mind of almost every figure competitor that has stepped on stage at one time in her life.
 

Just yesterday I was at the Connecticut State Natural Bodybuilding and Figure Championships to cheer on my girlfriend in her first ever figure show. Even though this was her first time on stage, she did extremely well. She placed third out of 18 girls and was very happy with her results. (She was also very happy that it was over!)
 

You see, despite looking fantastic (in the judges eyes) for one night, it didn’t take one day, or even one week, for her to change her body to look that way. Now, don’t get me wrong, this girl has nothing to complain about. She’s a very fit girl who works as a personal trainer and has a history of being a competitive figure skater. Earlier this year she was also training for triathlons -which was actually the jumpstart for her road to weight loss- and was doing extremely well. So, she’s not really ever out of shape. But being “in shape” and looking like a figure competitor are two very different things.       
 

I watched her and encouraged her for the last two months while she prepared for this show. Her daily intake was 1050 kcals a day with 60% cals from protein, 20% from fat and 20% from carbs (note, this wasn’t a diet I put her on…).  She was only allowed to eat plain chicken, lean beef, some tuna, one egg, egg whites, protein powder, a tsp of olive oil and 1/2 a grapefruit a day. She lost weight fast and leaned out exactly as she was supposed to lean out. However, she also had a really hard time focusing and suffered from some major mood swings.
 

I remember her coming in to work one day and telling me how tired she was and how she was forgetting everything. She teaches aerobics and said she forgot what direction she was supposed to go while she was instructing her class. She also said that it was very difficult to constantly have food with her, and she felt like she was always cooking.
 

But, that’s the way you have to live your life if you want to look like a figure competitor. You eat, work out, cook food, and sleep. That’s about it.
 

The reality of looking this way is that most of the women you see either on stage or on a magazine cover don’t look like that all year round. They really only look like that for a few days, or maybe a few weeks.
 

To look that way takes a lot of sacrifice and a lot of dedication. It also takes good genetics… because even for some women who follow all the rules, they still don’t look like a figure competitor.
 

Your goals should be to look good for you and to feel good all over. You can still look great if you follow a well-designed diet containing good proteins, flour-free carbs, and balanced fats. You also need to exercise regularly, including weight training and cardio (not just one or the other), to keep the cellulite at bay and to help your body grow muscle.
 

Make sure your idols are not some cover model of any magazine. Instead look to fit women in your gym and athletes playing their sport. Those women are more real than a one-time photo shoot model or a stage ready figure girl. Even watch out for that 50 year old lady who models for the Bowflex machine; yes, she may look good, but she isn’t what you should aspire for.
 

Your body is yours and you can make it into whatever you want it to be, but just remember: It takes time, patience and dedication, and NOTHING happens over night.

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