This is Sarah....Sarah
decided she wanted to compete a few years ago, so we crafted a training and eating program and off we went...
Sarah started at
around 28% bodyfat, 135 lbs (we always measure bodyfat. Body weight is not that important). She trained 5-6 days a week, and did no cardio for the first 5 months.
With 6 weeks to show,
we added cardio at 30 minutes, 3x a week. The goal was to not cause her metabolism to slow down (this is what we call the compensation point, where the metabolism senses a famine and halts its fat loss). I resort to cardio only when needed. Otherwise you can cause metabolic mayhem, and you lock a person into having to do that much cardio all the time, to keep the weight off. Not a good way to live moving forward.
The other deciding factor to
minimize cardio was that she didn't want to suffer with a rebound effect, which is very common among competitors, where the body, that has been under the stress of dieting and hard training, puts the weight back on faster, and even more so, after the show. And many former competitors return to strict dieting tactics to try to get it off again, which can further mess up metabolism and sets the stage for even more weight gain. We only ate whole foods. We did
not do a carb deplete or load, nor a water deplete or load. These are not proven, and for some it can work, but for her body, her goals (she is a non-drug athlete, all natural which is the only way I coach, and in the non drug body, things take longer, work differently, it wasn't appropriate or necessary. We did not use fat burners (I have never supported fat burners) and relied on whole foods, proper meal timing, macros in place, and a nice refeed once a week (that included some Jack Daniels
too!).
At one point, 3 weeks out
from show, Sarah's weight loss stalled...plateaued. I instructed her to NOT increase cardio, to not cut food, just to stay steady until her metabolism settled in...with such low bodyfat, the metabolism often wants to stop the fat loss, and if you force the body more, it will rebel. So we held on tight...for 3 weeks, no change...
Then the woosh....4 pounds down, 1 week to show, and she went on stage lean, strong, healthy and feeling and looking awesome! So slow and steady won the day....Sarah went down to 14% bodyfat, 116 pounds and won her show. Coax the body and it responds. Force the body and it rebels.
Much of what I learned about
metabolism and successful weight loss and weight management has come by working with competitors. Why? Because you must really learn the craft of successful weight loss AND weight maintenance as you coach the client, watch the biofeedback, learn how the body operates, understand how hormones and age can affect things, and not invite a long-standing plateau or a relapse / rebound where the weight comes piling back on again. So proper food management is extremely important.
And when you're in the depths of
pre contest, you must manage your food thoughts (although food is all you think about as you get close to stage time) by managing and reframing one's mindset. It is a powerful muscle that is usually under utilized, causing the competitor or weight loss client to 'white knuckle' it through, which is simply no way to live. And the results won't stay intact either.
I also learned tons by putting myself through 7 shows over a 30 year span, always watching and learning, staying curious, and seeing how things changed as my body aged through the competitive trail, from 29 to 53. (Take note: very little changed because I stayed on track all the years in between: lifting and eating on plan).
Sarah was a coach's dream, because she listened, she trusted and she kicked butt! Whole foods, no 'assists' or pharmaceuticals, no fat burners, just a devotion to eating right and to lifting well.
She then went on to
have two babies and we are embarking on another show for the spring. We are excited to see what unveils itself for her third show.
Today, Sarah lives at around
122 pounds, 8 pounds up from contest weight. She continues to train, eats well, and maintains her weight easily and effortlessly, because of the lifestyle changes she adopted heading into show.
For Sarah, the show is
simply the icing on the cake.
The cake itself is how
she gets to live her life moving forward as a mother, a wife and an athlete: lean, strong, healthy, feeling proud and confident.
I am truly thankful
for my years of competition, and the lifestyle it lead me into, for over 4 decades. It taught me so many valuable lessons that simply cannot be taught in a weekend workshop, or from a book or internet search, and certainly not from one of the many nutrition programs out there.
And those lessons I use with all my clients, whether they are 20 or 200 lbs overweight, because the basics apply: proper exercise programming, appropriate food management, and creating a powerful, strong mindset that sets the stage for women to live strong, live well, and age gracefully.
My name is Karen McCoy and I teach women over 40 a fresh, sustainable way to lose weight, reverse ageing, reclaim her health and get in head-turning shape
and look and feel amazing again! www.warriorwomanfitness.com
Book a FREE 45-minute Wellness Call with Karen at www.warriorwomanfitness.com/apply and start moving forward in your health and fitness goals today!
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