I am working with Pauline Nordin in preparation for my shows this fall and am learning so much from day to day about how to eat and diet to prepare the body for these events. Now that summer is approaching and everyone is either hanging out at outdoor cafes or on their porches sipping wine and barbecuing, going on picnics and celebrating some event after another – it’s difficult sometimes to explain to people why I can’t indulge in what I used to anymore.  The most common comment I get is “But it’s healthy – it’s good for you!” after they show me a piece of fruit or a whole wheat piece of baked goods, dried fruits, etc.  And this is what most people don’t understand: Just because it is a “healthy” food, doesn’t mean I can eat it – it simply doesn’t apply to someone’s diet when what they want is to get lean.  Every single piece of food I eat must serve a purpose – and I have to think about how the body will digest it (or not!) and apply that to the grand scheme or plan of how I want my body to look in 3 months. By no means do I expect anyone to take the slightest interest in this if they are not into body building, but sometimes it can get a bit frustrating to try to explain every time what it is I am doing.

My diet is pretty simple now and follow the Fighter Diet‘s principles of loading up on vegetables coupled with 5-6 oz of lean protein such as chicken, fish, egg whites and sometimes I also eat pork. I start my day with carbs /before the work out, so will have a half cup oatmeal mixed in with half a cup of wheat bran (or 1 cup), whole flax seeds as a filler, 1 cup of almond milk and a scoop of vanilla protein powder. I sprinkle my oatmeal with erythritol (natural, 0 calorie sweetener) and cinnamon. Then I have a protein shake before and after my workout – I choose Gaspari Nutrition products, simply because they are delicious and I really like that company. I load up on SuperPump250 (supplement) before my workout, then their SizeOn (creatine) during my workout for added strength. Lunch consists of stir fried vegetables (spray, not oil!) with shirataki noodles and either shrimp or pink wild salmon. Then in the afternoon I will have a snack of either non fat Greek yogurt or cottage cheese sprinkled with cinnamon and a tbsp of walnuts. Dinner usually consists of 5 oz of protein in form of chicken, egg white or fish with a whole lot of veggies. Then after the 5th day I get a “re-feed” day, which is more known as ‘carb cycling’ to most, where I will load up with lots of carbs and sugars (no fat!) and double my calorie intake for the day. This is to “shock” the body and stop it from thinking it will have smaller amounts of food constantly, thus hindering the body from “hoarding” food and nutrients. This is also known as a ‘plateau’. My first re-feed on the contest diet is this Saturday, so will be interesting as I have to work that day and have a pretty hectic day, but I must be sure to eat every 2-3 hours.

On a different note, I thought it was going to be more difficult to resist the foods I crave sometimes, but what I’ve found is that mostly the cravings have disappeared, and being replaced with a much stronger craving: Getting more muscular and lean, continuing to sculpt my body to become even better, stronger and healthier! This is not to say I won’t have days where I’ll be ready to kill for a piece of chocolate, but I must learn to weigh the two things against each other: Getting closer to my goal versus satisfying a craving that lasts for a few seconds. Dieting and achieving goals in general is 90% mental work and while there is a lot of hard work involved – the body won’t do anything the mind says no to. So I’m really going to focus on my head going forward, and not fall victim to the ‘easy way out’, which has never been my style to being with. When I’m tempted to give in, is when the most important moment presents itself!

I have also realized I must surround myself with like minded people, people who are into health and fitness and support my mission. Luckily, I already do have a pretty fabulous group of friends, not to mention a fantastic husband, who are very positive and supportive, so feel very blessed. They are used to me getting a bit obsessive with my interests. My style is definitely leaning more towards extreme than modest. Then again, where is the fun in moderation?? 🙂