But it’s really about living. It’s been 2.5 weeks since my competition debut and as my 2014 NPC season has come to a close and I sit down to reflect on the incredible journey I have traveled this year, my mind can only wander towards what possibilities lie in 2015. That being said, improvement season started off with a bang! No really, I hit legs 3x a week – I literally can’t walk straight…ever. #GLUTES2015
I must say that the day was a success in every way, shape and form. It’s amazing how quickly it passed seeing as how I was performing on 4 hours of sleep, less than 10oz of water and only rice cakes (I lie, I snuck in some A LOT of peanut butter). I kept reminding myself of the excitement and how important the experience would be for me, so nerves never struck me until my foot hit the first stair onto stage, but then a judge winked at me so I blushed and almost tripped in true Katie fashion, but I persevered – and perspired – no less. I made 1st call outs in 2 of my 3 divisions and 2nd call outs in the 3rd and that was enough for me. The number of bikini competitors was overwhelming, yet I finished 5th in two of my classes & 6th in the 3rd, bringing home two bad-ass medals, a smile to last me weeks and more confidence than I’d ever experienced in my life. I met so many incredible people, but somehow in a room full of competition I walked out with more friends than anything. These girls know my struggle, they had experienced the hard work and dedication that goes into training; they know the late nights and early mornings, the growling of your stomach and the insatiable appetite for anything remotely resembling almond butter.
This lifestyle wasn’t/isn’t easy and not many can understand it, nor do they even care to, but having actually successfully lived through it – I can’t wait to start it all over again. Post-competition we ended up gorging ourselves (some more than others – Carlos ate an entire 16″ pie) on pizza, beer and cake balls – none of which I regret – and still found ourselves “fat and happy” in bed by 1am. I had oreos and milk for breakfast the next morning and then decided to begin again. I had tasted all the food and all of the beer my body thought it wanted and I needed that to be enough.
So I’ve been bitten by this competition bug, but it’s so much more than that. The first week post-competition was a disaster; I spent 3 days treading water in the kitchen simply because I didn’t know which direction to go, what was safe to eat, and what would pack on the dreaded “rebound” pounds; so after gaining 5lbs in the first 7 days, I contacted Brian Melancon of C620 Nutrition to ‘fix the busted can of biscuits’ I felt like. I’m in my second week of working with him and I see now that this lifestyle starts with food, but it’s more about living.
As I struggled through contest prep hitting every dead-end block in the neighborhood, I thought post-competition life would be awful trying to beat the rebound; I think even Carlos prepared for the worst – you can take an anorexic girl out of rehab, but you can’t take the anorexic tendencies out of the girl; but I’ve truly surprised myself. I’ve been given these tiny little macronutrient goals to hit each day, and as I get to flexibly decide what I put into my body within those margins, I find myself reaching for the healthier alternatives 9 times out of 10, the mantra “you are what you absorb” echoing in my skull. I’d rather have 2c of broccoli than some chips or I’d rather skip out on the wine with dinner because we have TONS of September birthdays to celebrate; I’ve gotten more creative at satisfying my sweet tooth and even discovered a fascination with fat free Greek yogurt.
I built the post-competition rebound into this giant scary monster, because in all honesty food has always been my enemy, but at the end of the day it, along with every thing else, is just a matter of perspective and a balancing act. I’m a much better person for attaining this aesthetic through healthy hard-work and dedication rather than allowing myself to starve thinking that abstaining from food as a whole was self-discipline. There are days I falter and definitely over-estimate two tablespoons of PB, and I still feel a pang of guilt if we go out for a slice of pizza, but we’re always a work in progress. I’m just anxious to continue on this journey and see what I can bring to the table in 2015…assuming I stop waddling by then.
Journey to the Stage 