I thought I'd pull one of the many comments from the Metabolic Mind Games article from a short while back to highlight just how real a phenomenon this is. The following falls right in line with what I've been observing more and more in the world of female compettiors. So much feedback has said the same thing - "wow, did you write this about me?" That's a pretty scary thought.

This stuff is the real deal. Do what you can to stay OFF this road. Recognize anything? Anything? Like contest preps getting harder? It requiring more cardio than it used to? Less calories than it used to? Less carbs than it used to? And still, for less results? A big rebound?

----------

Wow Erik... how did you hear about my situation? LOL! Your article is so bang on, it could have been written about me. Three contest preps in 3 years. Hours of cardio, 7 days a week. A constant lowering of calories, especially carb calories. No fat allowed. No dairy. No fruit. No salt. Drugs? Yes... combinations of fat burners, diuretics and other unmentionables. Each contest prep was 20 to 24 weeks of this.

Year one went pretty well... the weight and water came off. Year two... much harder... my body did NOT want to respond to the diet, the cardio or the drugs. Year 3? Complete refusal. No amount of dieting/cardio/drugs worked. I actually started GAINING weight on 1100 "starch free" calories a day, doing 3 hours of cardio, 7 days a week plus weight training and posing practice. I dropped out of that contest prep... feeling like a complete failure.

That was 3 years ago. In that time, I have employed various trainers, none of whom really understood the problem. My weight kept of creeping up. I am now 50 pounds heavier than I should be and HATING it. I no longer entertain dreams of being on stage again. I no longer tell people that I "used to compete", because most people would not believe that this chubby middle aged woman could ever look lean and athletic. Now, my goal is to be able to eat healthfully and get NORMAL responses from my body.

I have recently been seeing a naturopath in Calgary who is trying to help me improve my thyroid and adrenal functions. Last week, I was perfect on my diet and never missed a workout. For that effort, I was rewarded with a 1 pound loss. I have never been more pleased with 16 little ounces.

This is a REAL problem and I agree with Erik that the word needs to get out. To all ladies who are involved in the sport and are still dieting like this, take heed and learn from my situation!!

Posted Jul 07, 2010 by Erik Ledin.
This entry is filed under Contest Prep, Rants, Fat Loss, and