From Fat To Fit; Rookie's Journey To Stage

You know that overwhelming feeling when you finally accomplish a goal that you have worked so hard for? That feeling of relief, accomplishment, astonishment and just awe. Did that really just happen? Did I really do that? That is exactly what I am feeling right now. I am about to grace the stage for my first bodybuilding show day and already I feel like I have achieved above and beyond any expectations I had set for myself.

It has been an emotional day for me. Good emotional that is. I feel like the luckiest person on the planet. This morning, I was sitting on my balcony drinking an iced long black and I looked down at my stomach. For the first time in a very long time there was not a fat roll in sight, not even one! I was bewildered. Is this even possible? I rubbed my eyes and looked again. I burst into tears and just could not stop crying because it finally hit me. The years of early mornings, late nights, injuries, sweat, blood and tears have finally paid off. I not only lost the weight I wanted, I was now about to compete in my first bodybuilding competition!

Taking The First Step

Here I am 24kg/52.8lb lighter. I am feeling fit as hell and just in plain shock. I managed to lose the weight I had gained plus more! Rewind 3 years ago, I was overweight and ashamed of my body when I returned back to Australia. The years of eating, drinking and partying while exploring the world had caught up to me. I was ashamed to have the people that once knew me as "tiny" now see me as "overweight". 

I am not a fan of diets and cannot deal with restrictions so the idea of having to lose all of the excess weight was an unbearable thought. I knew there had to be a way for me to lose weight without being strict and going to extremes. I was determined to find a way. We see fit people eating burgers and pizza all the time so why do I need to give up food I enjoy?

I thought about joining a gym but felt it would be a waste of money as I most likely wouldn't show up. (I know, bad train of thought) I tried to go running but the chafing of my thighs hurt so much I just couldn't do it. I decided to just walk every day for half an hour. This way the chafe wasn't so intense. That's all it took. That first step.

The walking then saw results which led me to walking for an hour and when I saw more results, I joined a boot camp. This then lead to even more results which gave me enough motivation to get to a gym and start lifting weights. You know what was important though? It was taking that very first step. It's that first step that is the hardest but once that step is over with, the rest seems to fall into place.

Consistency is Key

We hear about the need for being consistent in order to achieve results. There isn't a magic pill, there isn't a drink that will make the fat burn away. I'm sorry to break it to you but it takes hard work, dedication, commitment and keeping consistent.  I wish there was an easier option, trust me, I tried several pills and products that claimed miraculous weight loss. My advice? Save your money. They don't work. 

Every day I did something that would help me towards my goals. Whether it was just walking to the shops, going to the gym, hitting up a yoga class cos I didn't want to do anything vigorous, it really didn't matter. As long as I did something, something was better than nothing. 

I think that is why I was so emotional the moment I finally realised that I didn't have a single fat roll. I had become accustomed to going to the gym every day that it just became a part of me. It was habit. It was who I was. I knew I wanted to lose weight and while creating my habits, I forgot about having to lose weight and somehow it was like I had my eyes shut and then walked into a wall. I did it. I mean, I fucking did it!

Kicking Goals

I gained 4 dress sizes (maybe even more) by drinking, eating whatever I wanted and not being active. It was inevitable that I would gain weight. It was something that crept up on me though, just like losing it crept up slowly. I am happy to say that I lost the weight by finding a balance between all of the things I love. I still drank, ate food I love and still went on many overseas trips and had a great time. 

The secret? Well it was all about moderation. If I ate a burger or anything that wasn't exactly the healthiest, I just ate well for my other meals. I didn't want to give anything up. If I drank, I would make myself go to the gym to sweat it off the next day. I will admit there were times I didn't want to but the reality is, if you really want something, you do what you need to do.

I had lost 15kg and then hit a plateau. That is when I decided to compete in my first bodybuilding competition. I had grown to love lifting weights and I thought it would be a great way for me to attain the last finishing touches. I also felt it would be good for my blog as I wanted to prove that we don't have to give up everything we love in order to achieve our fitness goals. 

Journey to Stage

I started comp prep in December last year. I made it through Christmas, New years, trips away, several parties and birthday events. Did I drink? Yes I did. I switched to vodka and water (not soda, yes water) with lime. Instead of getting wasted, I would limit myself to a few. I did however stop drinking completely in the last 6 weeks. Surprisingly, this was a lot easier than I thought.

I found myself a coach (The Coach Cody) that believed in flexible dieting. His beliefs aligned with mine so I decided to go with him. He had such a realistic and healthy approach to attaining fitness goals. I could eat whatever I wanted as long as it fit into my macros. I ate burgers, chocolate and pizza through my whole comp prep. The last 2 weeks have been very clean though but what's 2 weeks when I ate what I wanted for the months leading up to this?

It's now the day before my stage debut and I am absolutely excited for tomorrow. I feel so confident in my body and I know I deserve a spot on that stage. It feels freaking amazing actually. All of the years of feeling insecure, all of the negative thoughts about my body, all just melting away. I am still in disbelief that I actually did it. Who knew, the girl that always took one drink too far, the girl that always went for seconds or even thirds, the girl that was known to be the residential party girl could actually compete in a bodybuilding competition! 

I am hoping I can sleep tonight with my excitement but most of all, I hope my journey can inspire you. If I can do it, any one can. I seriously mean that. So here's to kicking goals and here's to smashing them out of the park! Wish me luck!