Here we are, entering a new (and the last!) month of the year – time sure does fly by! This is my favorite month of the year, mainly because it’s my birth month (haha) but also because it’s full of cheer, parties, holiday feel and all around a good energy, albeit a bit stressed! Typically, in my previous years, this month has also signified EXCESS: too much food, drink and laziness. A month where I just told myself “oh to heck with it” and went to one too many holiday parties and had one too many drinks or pieces of cake. I am normally scheduling a trip back home to my native Norway right about now, where food is synonymous with enjoyment (and the only one, since there’s not much else to do in my small hometown!).
Not so this year! Not only have I started my new diet in preparation for the 2012 season, but I’ve also enlisted my husband in a new diet and we’re doing it together! We’ve told ourselves we won’t go completely nuts, we’ll allow ourselves three cheat days this month: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years’ Eve. That alone will be excess, but hell – we can’t stop living! 🙂 Mark, my husband, is on a much more ‘forgiving’ diet, he has many pounds to lose and has gone from eating crap to more ‘clean’ items, whereas I am not allowed any dairy/cheese, no sugar, very little (interesting) fat and more supplements than I’m used to.
Today I also started my new workout program, and I’m incorporating a new diet, all designed by my new coach, Fakhri Mubarak. He is an IFBB pro based here in NY, and with a very impressive track record. He has turned 28 clients into pros and won 9 IFBB shows within the last 4 years. He is also an NPC judge, which helps, considering I’m now transferring over to the NPC as of my next show. Fakhri is old school (just the way I like it), believing in hitting it heavy and hard, and the diet is more heavy on carbs but also workout wise, he has me doing a LOT more cardio. I am excited to see how this new regimen will change my body up, as I’m all about trial and error at this stage of my fitness! The only way to find out what is optimal for YOUR body- is to try out different methods and decide for yourself. I was very happy with my progress from my show last year to this past show in November, and it can only improve from here! I will be posting my new diet and workouts in the coming days – so stay tuned!
In the mean time, enjoy your weekend, hit the gym, enjoy yourselves but don’t go too crazy at all those holiday parties this month – it only makes January SO much harder!! Fight to be fit!!
sunnyandfit.com 
Sunny– great and exciting post. I can’t wait to see your new diet and training. Keep up your hard work. xo
Thanks as always for your support and encouragement, Maite! More to come soon! 🙂
How awesome is it that Mark is joining you on this journey, and I’m sure it’s especially helpful to PLAN the cheat days that will be enjoyed together…
I have sooo many questions, but the two I have to know the answer to right away is how you are managing this more strict diet with the demands of your job? Are you tasting as small a portion as possible/tasting then spitting/making Mark do it for you?!
And also, what is your thought process in regards to choosing a trainer, deciding whether or not to stay with said person, and how long you train with him/her? I’m asking as you’ve mentioned a few names in the last year so I’m really curious about how it all works for you.
Cheers!
Hi Elizabeth! Thanks for checking in! To answer your questions a) yes, it’s REALLY hard to manage a strict contest prep diet with my job. What I will do during my “off season” (i.e. right now) is I will have a little taste, sometimes I will spit but right now I don’t. When it comes closer to show time, say about a month or 3 weeks before the show date, I don’t taste at ALL. I rely on Mark or, if he’s not around, I definitely spit. I do a little extra cardio and that’s about it.
b) when it comes to trainers, I select them based on what goals I have, what my next step is and it is also very important to me to feel a connection with that person. Say with Dana (Linn Bailey), we are very similar in the way we work out – she’s not a ‘girly girl’ she is more hardcore which I like, she likes to train heavy and a lot, just the way I do! I’ve seen incredible results since started working with her, and I’m continuing to work with her for my next shows. I did decide to add Fakhri because he’s very connected to the new federation I’m going to be competing in, and he’s also based here in NY, so it was comforting to know I will have someone local too, and he’s got an incredible reputation in the industry. I will write more about him later once I get to know him a bit better! Hope that answers your questions – thanks as always for being such a loyal follower of my blog, I really appreciate it!