I had my first “off-season” check-in with Layne three Saturdays ago, and, as I expected, I was up a little in weight. I haven’t had a single cheat after the competition (when I had a Snickers bar and a couple of small protein bars after the competition), and my off-season diet seems to include a ridiculous amount of food (it’s not much more than what I was eating during contest prep, with regards to calories, but it feels like a ton!). Anyway, with the goal of building muscle, weight gain is inevitable (and actually what I want, as long as it’s in the form of muscle and not fat!), but it’s certainly going to take some getting used to to not feel disappointment when the number on the scale goes up rather than down. It’s going to take a lot of psychological training to switch my mindset 180 degrees! Especially as a woman, I think, it’s very unnerving to see the number on the scale creep up. But, with my unwavering trust in Layne, I know he’ll get me to where I want to be. Not everyone’s body reacts the same way to changes in macronutrient distribution, so it will take some tweaking and learning about my own body to find the right balance. At my second update two Saturdays ago, Layne said I looked even leaner than I did at the competition (I was the same weight I was on my first off-season check-in), so my macros have steadily been increasing! I just hope that doesn’t make it that much harder to restrict when competition time rolls around again!
Interestingly (but not surprisingly), people really believe I gained muscle during my contest prep. Whatever I gained during my prep was minimal, I can assure you that! The only difference is that I shed some of the insulation that was hiding those muscles. The off-season is where muscle is built. This is why most competitors and bodybuilders don’t stay competition lean year-round. Building muscle requires an excess of calories, and losing body fat requires a calorie deficit. People don’t gain weight after a competition because they suddenly lose all self-control (although that does happen to many people); in many cases, it’s taking them a step closer to their goals! This weight gain doesn’t have to be huge (I’ve read about people gaining anywhere from 5-30 lb in the off-season), and it’s especially important for many women to maintain a certain level of body fat to keep their hormones in check. I’ll keep you updated on my off-season progress with the occasional picture here and there, but do understand that I’m not getting weaker and lazier (and no, muscle does NOT turn into fat), but that my goals have (for the meantime) changed. However, I’m not going to post my weekly pictures on my blog until I start the next contest prep, because some people have actually taken it a bit too far (in my opinion) and actually started criticizing me week for week (the day before my second competition, a coworker told me I looked much better the week before. Thanks for the vote of confidence!). I’m all for constructive criticism, but I think it’s time to take the focus off of every little weekly physical fluctuation for a while (until I suit up and allow myself to be judged while standing on a stage in a bikini again!). I’m critical enough about myself as it is! (Especially now as I’m transitioning into the off-season). About three months before my next competition (which, right now, looks to be June 1), I’ll start “cutting” (losing body fat) again, and we’ll see how much muscle I’ve been able to pack on until then! Layne says that champions are made in the off-season, so there’s no time for slacking now!
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3 weeks after the competition. A little
"fluffier," but I'm getting stronger and stronger in the gym!
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