Morning! I woke up on the right side of the bed this morning and feel as chipper as a….chipmunk? Well – whatever fits that comparison is what I feel like. I guess resting up for a few days, having my weekly sister night, and getting in a good chat with Peter about a few things will help set me back on my feet. And I can’t forget the support from you all about “The Jeans” and my two new races I shared.

A Different Spin on What I Ate Wednesday – My Competition Days

The other day, when I realized I had gotten those jeans around the time of my fitness competition, I got to thinking about how much my eating has changed since those days. Peter even commented about it when we were talking yesterday, telling me just how “proud of me” he is when thinking about it all.

So, for today’s What I Ate Wednesday a la Jenn, I thought it would be fun to take a look back into my past and nab a day of my eats from the competition days. I warn you – it’s ugly.

No, really. It’s ugly. I had not a clue how to work a camera back then.

Breakfast (Pre-Workout)

• 1/3 cup (or perhaps even 1/4 cup) oatmeal cooked with cinnamon and water
• 1 scoop whey protein
• 2 tablespoons dried fruit (notice the food scale!)

Breakfast (Post-Workout)

• 1 apple chicken sausage from Trader Joes
• 1/2 cup scrambled Egg Beaters with salsa
• 1 apple sliced and spread with strawberry yogurt
• coffee with a splash of milk

Lunch

• 3 oz extra lean ground turkey with salsa and 2 tablespoons shredded cheese
• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter (that was seriously the best part of my day)

Snack (Pre-Workout #2)

• protein shake with chocolate almond milk & whey protein powder
• Cookies & Cream flavored Luna Bar

Dinner

• 3 ounces grilled shrimp
• 1 cup canned green beans

All of these meals were taken from a post from the archives of my old competition journal. I saved them here on FFF, if you're interested in reading the original post. You can also read my Q + A post on my competition thoughts, if interested in more comp details.

I told you it was ugly! And you know what? I actually prided myself on all of that because I allowed myself a little more leeway than my previous competition diet. It feels so crazy looking back because I know that I ate that way day in and day out for about three months…while working out 2 or more hours a day basically every.single.day. Eeep!

You can imagine I was pretty cranky. I even remember yelling one night at Peter after he mentioned still being hungry from dinner. I yelled at him “You don’t even KNOW what hungry FEELS LIKE!”. Um, yeah. He probably did. Did you see the “meal” I served the poor man!? How is he still married to me?!

Now, I know people out there can happily eat a competitor style diet and one that is a lot more appealing than what I just shared. I know Naomi does it! However, I know that style is not for me. By far! I am so thankful in the ways my eating has changed since then:

I now emphasize the quality of the food over the calorie count of the food. Watery, canned green beans for dinner? No, thank you. I will take a pile of quinoa with lots of fresh veggies instead. <—new food kick

I now fuel my body so it can achieve – in races and new workouts. No longer do I go hungry, so someone else can tell me if they like it or not.

I now eat a truly satisfying dessert and not a processed bar or whey protein shake to satisfy a sweet tooth.

I now know the bliss of peanut butter and oatmeal together. And it sure makes a good morning, but it no longer is the best part of my day to taste peanut butter.

I now eat 100% for me. I sure don’t eat “perfect”. I know I have plenty of ways I could improve my eating habits (love of sugar, much?). I also know for once I finally have that balance I worked years to create. I finally eat in a way that truly satisfies me and where I don’t feel pressure to fit into any style of eating. I choose what I want to eat that I know leaves me feeling well on a whole. I’m happy to be here. And I’m also incredibly happy my picture skills have improved. That was just plain painful to look at!

• What ways have your eating habits changed in the past few years?
• Don't forget to enter the Champion Giveaway! Ends tomorrow!

When I opened up the forum for you to openly ask questions, I quickly received quite a few relating to my fitness competition. You asked, and I will tell. In one comprehensive post just for you!

Why did you decide to start figure-competitions/lifting? Was it to eat more without gaining weight?

In the fall of my junior year of college I went to the Auburn/UGA game. We had to take a shuttle to the game from a strip mall. While waiting for the shuttle, we stopped in a store and flipped through some magazines. Oxygen Fitness Magazine caught my eye for some reason, so I picked it up.

I got hooked on the magazine and the thought of weight training intrigued me. At that point I enjoyed doing cardio workout DVDs at home, so I opted to branch out my collection. I bought some Cathe Friedrich DVDs with weights and fell in love. Eventually, I joined a gym to challenge myself in new ways and try out some of the workouts in Oxygen. I loved the strong feeling from working out with weights and the changes I saw in my body. I began reading everything I could about weightlifting.

I also originally became interested in fitness competitions from reading Oxygen. I began wondering if it was something I could do.

I noticed the magazine had a fitness forum and joined. I got to know other women who competed through the forum and began working towards entering one myself. I decided to work with a coach and train for my first show. It did not end well, thanks to the old-school methods of training and dieting. I even passed out a few times from blood sugar issues thanks to the prescribed diet. Finally, I determined it was in my best interest to not compete in that show.

That competition always hung over me and I knew I would regret if I never trained for another and made it to stage. When I got in better shape than I expected after Makenzie, thanks to finally learning how to respect my body, I figured that was the time to just go for it. So I did, but with my own plans and workouts to take care of my body. As for being able to eat more without gaining weight? That actually never entered my mind. In fact, I knew the opposite would be true with the competition. I knew I would feel hungry all. the. time!

What do you like and don't like about them?

I will be blunt and say that I disliked a lot more than I liked about competing.

• I hated reaching a point where workouts felt like an obligation, instead of something I enjoyed doing for myself.
• I did not feel like myself the majority of the prep because it took so much time and energy. I couldn’t enjoy simple things, like my daughter’s first birthday, without thinking about workouts, the food, or scheduling. I was moody, cranky, and unhappy. I didn’t feel like I was living.
• While my body looked extremely defined, I physically felt like crap. Why wouldn’t I? I was starved and exhausted.
• I feared that old eating issues would come back. I did binge a couple times after the show, and thankfully got a grip on it very quickly. I don’t know what I would have done if I lost the healthy relationship with food and workouts I strived so hard to achieve. It was still a great mental challenge post-show having to gain weight – not only to get back to a healthy place, but also extra in order to get pregnant sooner.
• The judging is completely subjective. I competed more for myself and did not hope to win, but it still hurt to place 4th out of 4. Especially after going through all of the above emotions and realizing exactly how political things were at that show. The women who placed ahead of me? They all trained with trainers from the gym whose owners head the federation. Yea.

I did like parts of the show as well. The actual show day was a great time! The women were all so nice and it literally felt like one big party backstage. We laughed, ate, shook our groove thang, and got to know each other well gluing one another into our suits. Yes, you glue the suits so they don’t slip and show something extra.

I also really loved the feeling of accomplishment. Training for a show is extremely hard work. I knew I did my very best and took my body to places I never thought possible. I knew I would never have to wonder “what if” again. I learned a lot. Plus, I had fun being up on stage.

Would you consider doing another fitness competition in the future?

No. The negatives of competing far outweighed the positives for me. Some people thrive in prep and really do enjoy the cycle of training for shows. More power to them! I also never discourage someone from attempting to do a show, as long as it is a goal they know they would regret not achieving. I don’t recommend it for those who think of it as a cool way to get in shape or lose weight.

• Have you ever done something you thought you would love and now never want to do it again?