Post Show Binging and gaining too much weight

[Star123]

Hi,

I posted about this same thing (post show weight gain) back in October 2010....and I am still struggling with it! I have tried dieting again...but cant mentally do it. Its like I have become obsessed with food..and cant stop "cheating." So I stop the diet. Then I get depressed because I am at a higher weight than I ever have been EVER. I still cant fit in pants that I used to always wear before contest prep even started last year. Its so depressing. But all the weight is in my mid section..stomach, hips, BUTT, thighs. Why is this?? I cannot get it off!!
I know you all say to just eat at maintenance and quit trying to lose weight, but I have given myself enough "maintenance" time the past 8 months! My show was last July! Will I ever be able to lose weight again? Whats wrong with my body? Why cant I lean down???

Thanks for your help! Its stinks we have to go through this..but on the other hand it is reassuring to know that Im not the only one experiencing this.

 

[Roxy722]

It's a brutal place to be and a real mind game. The only thing that has worked for me is consistency. I've been dieting about 8 weeks, very limited cheats and had to really up the intensity of the cardio I was doing and the weight is finally starting to come off. It's taken that long though!! That's after about 16 months of yo yo'ing. I started right at maintenance and then dropped slowly. I'm not doing a severe deficit though because if I think I'm starving, I'll cheat. So it's painfully slow but hopefully finally starting to repair the damage done.

 

[balashka666]

I love CP staff but all the staff are on the shelf dusting for now. I dropped absolutely everything except zinc and whey powder by Revalus that i take post workout. What a difference. I can finally have deep sleep and feel rested Thank you MetalMilitiaBabe for your responses. Hope your spring is rocking

 

[balashka666]

Star - welcome to my world of misery. I am in the same situation. I always have had body image issues and therefore kept myself lean and tight till end of last year. I am also at my biggest right now and even though I try to get on some sort of mild diet, it is just a matter of days before I overeat again. Maintanance is still pretty low if you are petite. I honestly think and blame my former coach for giving me a cookie cutter program while not coaching me proparly. She did not advice me to take a break between competitions and kept me on low calorie diet while i was working out twice a day at 7-9% BF.

When Roxy responded back to me saying that if you still obsessed with food - i certainly am - it means you are not recovered yet. Realizing that helped me a lot to re-evaluate my game plan. However, food still calls my name - especially bad carbs - and there are days when i cant control it. I hate this feeling. I hate not being able to control my mind and cravings, and most of all, I hate the fact that being an elite & sponsored athlete I cant get my act together.

I guess what we can do for each other is support and motivate. Lets do it!!!! - lets motivate each other and help get through that bad habit & food obsession. We did it once, we can do it again. what do you say?

 

[balashka666]

Roxy - great job following through your 8 weeks of clean food. Good Job!!!! & thank you for motivating us

 

[Star123]

balashka666
-I am all for supporting each other! It really is crazy how this happens. You think you are doing everything right...eating good, working out, and yet you still feel like you look like you eat like crap..and just look like the average person...not someone that trains hard and has competed!! Its so depressing. I am in the same boat with self image. Everyone says Im not "fat" and I dont need to lose weight, and while they are probably right for the "average" person...I am big for "me" and my standards for myself. I havent weighed myself in over 6 months..and I refuse to again. The last time I did, I cried for days. So now I only judge by my clothes...and my shirts are fine. However, I have this little "gut" now ( always had flat tummy all my life) and my pants still dont fit that I have always been able to wear at my "normal" weight. I may have gained some muslce the past year, but its no excuse for clothes not fitting...I havent gotten that ripped. So......the past 8 months have literally been hell. I have been obsessed with the way i look and weight gained. I think about it 24/7 no matter what I am doing. I am so insecure with the way I look around people, that I avoid certain things. I am a little extreme I know, but this post show weight gain has really affected me in a negative way. I just want to get back to "normal" for me. I have started dieting two days ago, and have vowed to stay strict with it, and try to give it another go to lose some weight. We will see....

I should also point out, like you, my coach had me on a very low carb, caloric diet! I was also doing cardio 2x a day for the whole 12 weeks of training, and even though I was way to lean to early, she continued to drop my carbs and keep my cardio the same. I looked way to lean, and I am still suffering from the effects of all that... I used to be able to eat whatever I wanted for the most part, and it wouldnt effect me negatively as long as I worked out. Now, if I eat anything somewhat bad I can tell!!!

Ugh..I wish I could be normal again.

 

[balashka666]

OH honey Start - I dont think you are extreme at all. I think all of us who went throught this and still battleing weight gain and food obsession are in the same boat. I can relate to all your points, hate seeing myself in the mirror, having cellulite covered huge bum, sticking out stomach that i never had before, shoulders & arms that look like they are injected with extra estrogen and have very little, avarage non athletic look. Just like you are i am insecure. I skip gym sometimes cause the clothe i brough makes my hips look huge, I dont go to the beach and just one thought of being on vacation terrifies me. My BF is not allowed to see me with lights on. Every time he touches my stomach or quad I feel like he is pinching and evaluating how fat i am

I wonder if your former coach's name is Cathy My former coach dropped my carbs after I lost 5 lb in one week while already being the leanest on the team. What a f...ing bitch. Sometimes I hope there are ways to file a lawsuit or smth against those who whould not be coaching. Fitness, bikini, figure and bodybuidling should be promoting health and beautiful bodies and not force athletes to pay for fitness success by psychological as well as physical stress. I remember i did not have period for 11 month. I could not sleep. What i used to love started to bother me. I got stressed. Obsessed. And etc..... and I blame her for that. FOr poor guidence, for cookie cutter program, for not looking out for her althetes.

Stay strong and motivated. I trully believe that if we stick to one plan - regardless of what it is - we will get back to being normal. ROXY started to see improvement after 8 weeks of planned approach. Lets look upto her and follow.

If you want we can exchange email address and when we feel week - when we want to reach for food that makes us bigger - we can just instead email one another fpr support.

I have a new coach. He told me there are over 100,000 atheletes who go throught the same. He went through it as well. The difference between him and I is that he conquered bad habits. He is teaching me to have fun again doing all that I loved. No dieting, no discussions of contests.... Just follow workouts you feel like doing and have a good eating plan in place - the rest (with proper support) will follow.

 

[bettybody]

Thank you guys so much for the information. I have been hard-core dieting for the last 6 months.. And after the show, I couldn't stop eating sugar and I would eat sensibly and then at night go crazy with junk food. I put on about 12 pounds in 2 weeks. I was wondering what was going on and why the weight was piling on. Thanks you guys so much!

Also was wondering, I have a lot of muscle and would like to lose some of it so I can have a leaner look without the huge muscles... some people say I should compete in the bodybuilding because of my build, but I would much rather lean out... My comp weight was 139, and about 13%. Any suggestions? Thanks ladies.

 

[psizzle_8]

Awesome that you two are supporting each other. That's def what a girl needs in times like these!

 

[Dggymnast98]

Hi! I'm a 20 yr old female that competed in bikini competitions! I started 10 weeks out prepping for my 1st shOw march 31st! The day after that show I gained 10 pounds. I got right back on my competition diet and lost it! After that I competed again April 28th and 29th! After that show I continued my diet for a couple of weeks, planning on doing another show but pulled out bc my body was to tired to continue! I binge and ate more food for longer than a couple days and within less than 3 weeks I gained 20 pounds! :/ I was also on a low carb and 2adays of cardio for an hr each session, maybe a little under! it has been 4 months pretty much and I haven't lost any of the weight I have gained! I have had all types of blood work done from thyroid to standard stuff and everything came back good! I have a bad trainer that didn't care about me obviously! I messed up by eating whatever for some time but I couldn't control my cravings! I am now on a diet and trying to lose some weight but it doesn't want to come off! I went from 112 to 130! The heaviest I have ever weighed even before competing! I have no confidence anymore and feel depressed ALL THE TIME! Is this fixable??? Are u still going thru it? please anyone one that can help I would love to hear from u!! I want To live a normal life again also! Thank you!