Commencing day 2 here in the Napa Valley, and I’m determined to STARVE today rather than eat crappy foods. I brought with me some carrots and celery sticks (the only thing I could find around here, and carrots aren’t ideal here as I’m not looking to carb up but it’s better than eating bread or FAT!) and some rice cakes and tons of water. Going to at least be somewhat physical today, not just sitting in a lecture hall, as we are going to individual vineyards and actually helping the winery owners with various tasks. Luckily it’s easy to get up at 4 am, because I feel so guilty for having had a less than stellar eating pattern the day before, that I just jump out of bed and eager to hit the gym to try and burn off some calories. I am feeling super soft (naturally) but I weighed myself at the gym this morning and luckily I’m at the same weight I was before I left. I’ve decided that when I return to NY, I will incorporate cardio again every day (with exception of day after my leg work outs), to try and shed some of this puffiness..
On the upside, it’s another gorgeous, sunny day and I know I will be meeting yet another group of interesting, passionate people with fascinating stories to tell, and I will learn even more about wine. I am so in love with this region, I am dreaming of moving here in a few years, or at least try to be bi-coastal. My dream would be to buy a summer home in St. Helena and spend a lot of time here. People are so friendly and welcoming and it reminds me a bit about Tuscany. I feel so fortunate to be around people who love what they do, just like I do! It’s refreshing, and helps me keep my spirit up and not be so nervous about my show. I know I will reach my goal – if you believe, you will achieve!! Catch you folks later – make it a great day!!
sunnyandfit.com 
Sunny! Your dilemma is mind boggling- a figure competition a mere few weeks away, but then you’re at a highly selective wine event…. We’ve discussed in the past the challenge of being fit (or in your case fit, ripped, and shredded) and working in the food and wine industry, and I wonder what the answer is in maintaining balance between lifestyle versus profession/passion.
You admitted to struggling with maintaining the FD on day 1, and I applaud this admission because I understand it’s a diet easier to maintain when you’re not in Napa Valley. You have this amazing opportunity and it’d be a waste to not enjoy some small part of the experience. I’ve read about competitors who travel with their food, and for them eating is a chore- eating only becomes exciting because they are starving. I’m not criticizing them, but just wondering for myself how to make this lifestyle work. I want to lose a bit more body fat before winter, but I also want to enjoy what I’m eating to get there. I LIKE what I’m eating, but there’s soooo much I say “no” to and that I don’t enjoy.
Keep having a wonderful time, and soak it all in. I’m living vicariously through you as it has been very gloomy here in NYC and I’d love to be where you are right now!
hi Elizabeth – thanks for your comments! Yes, this will always be a conundrum I think for us “food lovers”. I don’t think you can compromise when you are prepping for a contest, or when your goal is to get ripped and super lean. You simply CANNOT eat “healthy” or “normal” – contest dieting is none of the above. And with the Fighter Diet, you eat this way 365 days a year, simply because Pauline doesn’t believe in “yo yo dieting” and ruining your metabolism by eating crap after “dieting” (and I hate that word because it’s so temporary, while I look at it as a lifestyle), to then all of a sudden go down to 1300 calories per day and only eat certain things. I agree 100% on this, but I also know I can’t live without wine or certain foods I enjoy, so I will have them maybe once a week, or do extra carbs maybe for one meal per week, while carb loading or increasing calories to confuse my body, in order to keep the ‘engine’ burning. I don’t think I will blow up to be 200 lbs because of it, at the same time I might not look as “ripped” as I can year round either. Life shouldn’t be about depriving yourself, but you have to get to a point where you don’t look at your lifestyle as ‘deprivation’ because then you will never stick with it. I don’t think the Fighter Diet is deprivation at all, in fact I feel fabulous on it, and I know I will look good by following it. It’s just hard to follow it among “normal” people and settings, lol!! So you are right, it’s simple to follow when you are in your own home or environment, not so easy in hotels and at conferences where they look at sugary cereals and fruit as “healthy” and “light”… 🙂 There are bound to be situations and moments in life like this – the key is how you handle it, how you think about it and accept that there will be bumps in the road, and that “all is not lost” because you have days or weeks of not so perfect eating. That’s only my 2 cents! But you can bet that when I am back in NY I’m going hard core to make up for lost time!! 🙂