So, going on vacation right after the show was definitely not my brightest idea. As I mentioned in my last post, the “post show shenanigans” started right after the show. I had a burger, fries, a cocktail, cake (oh my God, the cake was so ridiculously good), then Sunday it was brunch with mimosas, some treats on the drive home….I had worked hard and earned it, right?
Sort of. Going into the week after the show, I knew that my body would be adjusting as I transitioned off of a very strict, clean, structured diet, and I had several fellow competitors, my coach, and friends all tell me that I’d put on a few pounds of water weight (hopefully mostly water weight) quickly, but I still thought “No way, I’ll be fine!! Not me—I’ve got the metabolism of a genetic super freak, I can handle it!”
During Peak Week, my coach gave me a reverse diet and reverse cardio plan to adhere to after the show. He knew that I was leaving Wednesday after the show to celebrate my birthday in New Orleans, and we both knew that I wouldn’t really be on plan the entire trip, but I went into it with good intentions! I would enjoy myself “in moderation”. Monday I did my 30 minutes of moderate cardio like a good girl, and I ate on plan! The Girl Scout cookies and crap I bought at Buc-cee’s went to work where someone else would eat them, and then came Tuesday. I did the cardio, ate on plan most of the day, then had an amazing birthday dinner with my friends at my favorite Mexican restaurant with a couple of skinny margaritas and of course birthday cake… and beer afterwards!
Needless to say, by Wednesday night after our first day of New Orleans deliciousness, my feet were looking pretty swollen, and I could tell that I was definitely carrying A LOT of water. By Thursday, I felt like Jabba the Hutt, and was starting to resemble him as well. What the hell was going on?!?! We were easily walking 6-7 miles a day, and I did cardio on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, but the combination of alcohol, sugar, fat, and carbs, was making my body go into a tailspin.
By Sunday afternoon I was literally WADDLING around the French Quarter, absolutely miserable. My legs, feet, and ankles hurt from how swollen they were. This was a bad situation. Mentally I was feeling pretty good, just exhausted and kind of a little checked out. I was enjoying myself and letting my mental and physical self just recoup a little bit. We got back to Dallas Sunday night, and I was “good again” Monday and Tuesday. I ate on plan—lots of protein, veggies, and good carbs—did my cardio and got lifting in too.! I was starting to feel better, but in just a week, my body looked COMPLETELY different from how it did on stage. I was embarrassed and self-conscious, and so discouraged. Had I really just undone in 6 days what it took me 6 months to work for? I could not stop Googling post-show bloat, weight gain, and rebound articles. How long would this last?? Would it ever go away? Was I destined to be a fat cow?
Wednesday I left for Fort Lauderdale for a work trip, and brought my egg whites and oats to eat on the plane, and a couple of Quest bars and peanut butter for snacks. I was only going to be gone 36 hours, but I didn’t want to do any more damage. Wednesday night was dinner and more drinks with our executive team and then I headed back to Dallas on Thursday afternoon. It was a great trip, but boy was I ready to get back in my routine!!!
Prior to my show, I knew that my metabolism would be in a funk right after the show. Your body gets so depleted and dehydrated, to look “stage ready” for a matter of hours, and it is impossible to keep that conditioning for very long. And it’s not healthy! The problems come because (A) you will engage in post-show binging where you allow yourself to eat foods that had been so restricted for so long, and (B) your body will not be able to handle or know how to deal with all of the extra calories and carbs that you are consuming and therefore your body will turn it to excess water weight and body fat. I was lucky because I had a couple of cheat meals during my prep, but I really think that it was the booze that did me in. I had gone 12 weeks without it, and although we didn’t go crazy in NOLA, my body just didn’t know how to process it. My saving grace was probably all the walking we did and sticking to my cardio. That and trying to be at least somewhat healthy with what I ate on the trip. A po-boy with a salad instead of fries is a good swap, right? The hardest part though is the mental part that comes with this. You beat yourself up and think, “wow, two weeks ago I looked completely shredded and was in the best shape I’ve ever been in and now I’m a fat ass… cool.” It’s very discouraging. VERY discouraging.
Yes, a week of eating and drinking and two trips had definitely taken a hit on my body, and I looked as bad as I felt. The good news, though, was that I knew what it would take to get it back. Get back in gym, and starting feeding my body with the right fuel. As I write this, I’m 10 pounds above stage weight. Is it all fat? No, likely not, but some of it definitely is, and it’s not the end of the world. I will work it off as my body readjusts. Every day gets better. But, I know that I will NEVER go on vacation right after a show again. You need to have control over your diet as you reintroduce foods and recover from contest prep, and being out of town makes it really difficult to do that. Clean eating and training has now become a lifestyle for me. I feel better when I exercise and eat the right foods. It’s not about just competing, or doing it for one show and then letting it all go to waste. Bodybuilding is about building your body—physically, emotionally, and mentally. I am ready to move forward and build an even better me. Oh there’s my wagon! I’m hopping back on.
Till next time!
-Mere