Help!!! National bikini competitor with extremely damaged metabolism!

[alikatt]

ladies...I NEED HELP...

I competed five times in 2012, back to back. So I know, now, that this is a no-no. I was on high protein and extremely low carb diet totaling a whopping 1000 calories/day. YIKES. I did well in my shows and was on top of the world...so I kept going without taking my body into consideration.

My last show was November 9th (Nationals in ATL) and since then...I tried continuing a super low calorie diet(which i was totally used to) and didn't take a break from the hour+ cardio a day. A few weeks after the show I realized i was GAINING weight...pretty quickly. So all I could do was freak out...because I was still cardio-ing and dieting! It was then I started to discuss with my bodybuilder friends what I was going through. I also went to the doctor and had my thyroid and hormone levels checked. First labs came back all screwed up. I literally was producing less estrogen and testosterone than a 46 yr old female who is pre-menapausal (per my doctor). Thyroid was in range. Three weeks later (last week) i went and repeated the labs and they came back completely normal. I've been told by almost everyone that hears my story, I've damaged my metabolism and my body is in starvation mode. I AM STILL GAINING WEIGHT!!!!

Not only am i depressed about the weight gain...I'm terrified that there is possible permanent damage. I've been advised to stop ALL cardio and take 2 weeks to eat WHATEVER I want to shock my system. I was told to also take those two weeks and lift HEAVY to engage the metabolism. I am completely confused...devastated...and at at loss. Can anyone give me their advise? Has anyone ever experienced this?

 

[German89]

Just eat, no cardio, and do weights....
It's normal

 

[German89]

one of the guys posted this...
Watch it... It will help understand what you did to damage your metabolic system

 

[Youngblood43]

the advice u were given is good, don't be depressed about it, hell you know you look good if ur stepping on a national level stage, you should be proud of yourself. just try to stop freaking out about it, and just eat whatever you want for awhile and ur body should respond and metabolism should speed up again

 

[alikatt]

Thanks everyone.......it puts my mind at ease a bit I suppose. Next question that may create some chaos....
I was all natural last year. I actually just started a cycle of Anavar at 10 megs a day (split doses). Do you think by raising the test level a bit, my metabolism will start working a bit faster? Also....I have a show in 17 weeks...and I'm TERRIFIED that i won't be able to get my body ready for another beating. Any advise? Food for thought?

 

[German89]

Personally... In my opinion I don't think, You probably shouldn't be competing so much in one year...
Secondly. If you're gonna be adding the Anavar, you're gonna want to add more calories to a a diet because a 1000 cals isn't enough. It's not some magic drug, that will instantly work. You have to eat.. You're gonna have to intake more proteins too...
I don't know much about getting ready for a comp.. A few other ladies are more knowledgeable in that area then I am.
I'm sure they can hit you up with a little advise.

I'm not 110lb bikini model so, my advise probably wouldn't be helpful.

I can assure you that if you just add some calories and try and get 1500+ and lay off the cardio for at least 2 weeks, you'll be fine.. 2 weeks out of 17 isn't bad.
You probably dont need to add the cardio in, until the very end.. 4 weeks before comp. If you watched the video, I think he touches on that as well... And if you post in another section, a few guys do compete and, they can help you out! They know how to get comp ready.

Good luck. Don't stress, and you'll be fine!

 

[alikatt]

Thanks! You ever run var German?

 

[German89]

Yup... Running it now with winstrol at the moment. at much higher dosage then you are. but... If you're gonna wanna run something mild like that, you have to eat, and you have to understand what steroids actually do to the body. It's nothing to be scared of!! Use it to your advantage but understand the consequences.
Know and understand all side effects. Educate yourself as much as possible!
And if you have 17 weeks to get ready, I'd hold off on taking that, unless they test you... I wouldn't advise running it for 17 weeks lol.

 

[alikatt]

lol yeah I'm pretty knowlegeable about AAS. I've just never had to do it for bikini because bikini used to be a softer look. Now the girls that are winning are hard as hell with quite a bit of muscle. So...time to venture to the dark side. haha
I'm definitely not running it for 17 weeks. I'm doing a six week cycle, then switching over to Winstrol (winny) and clen, and a little t3 if needed. i stopped the crazy 1000cal/day diet days ago...now I'm just eating anything and everything I want like I was told. lol As great as it sounds...it makes me bloated and feel like complete shit. I'm getting back to a somewhat routine diet tomorrow but with more calories. Bigger meals...more protein, more carbs.

 

[German89]

lol...I know what you mean by the whole eating whatever and feeling like shit... I'm a chef for a hotel and some days are like that at work and I hate it.
That's good... So once you get more in you, and your body starts getting use to that, then you can slowly add cardio in.. For now, just focus on weights and reps... because if you have a high rep range, you're still burning as well, don't forget that... And another tip is you can do little circuits too if you feel you need to sweat a little.
Nothing happens over night, patients is a virtue.
Do not over think anything.. You will be repaired in no time and who knows what crazy results you will get this time!

 

[alikatt]

Thanks German. i will keep you posted.

 

[Mrs P]

lol yeah I'm pretty knowlegeable about AAS. I've just never had to do it for bikini because bikini used to be a softer look. Now the girls that are winning are hard as hell with quite a bit of muscle. So...time to venture to the dark side. haha
I'm definitely not running it for 17 weeks. I'm doing a six week cycle, then switching over to Winstrol (winny) and clen, and a little t3 if needed. i stopped the crazy 1000cal/day diet days ago...now I'm just eating anything and everything I want like I was told. lol As great as it sounds...it makes me bloated and feel like complete shit. I'm getting back to a somewhat routine diet tomorrow but with more calories. Bigger meals...more protein, more carbs.

Hi Alikatt,

I wouldn't advise you to eat "everything u want" The way to move your body out of "Starvation" mode and into a normal metabolism is to do it slowly...
U can begin to add 200 to 250 extra calories daily... Spreading the calories out over the day with a little extra at each meal... You want to primes your metabolism to move out of starvation mode, without overwhelming yoru body with too many calories at once. U can Slowly increase these calories in increments of 100 every other day, until u get to where u should be based on your TDEE.

Once yoru there, u can splurge one day per week or so, this will boost your metabolism & force it to work ahrd & process that amount of food... Also vary your foods as much as u can, even changing your ratio of carbs/proteins/fats on each meal, this confuses your body & will boost your metabolism.

I see u want to compete again in 17 weeks, I think u really need to allow your body time to re-adjust, don't sweat the weight gain, learn from this experience & you'll be more successful in dieting in the future.

Good luck

 

[DobieQueen]

I totally agree with Mrs. P! Do it slowly... I am also in Anavar right now and I have noticed that increasing your calories will help. Plus you still need to load up on proteins and eat clean and healthy but not to the minimal levels you have been up to this point... all valid points.... plus drink lots! And yes, no cardio for a couple weeks... change things up and shock that body!

I also agree that you must look amazing to compete at National level so I wouldn't sweat it... congrats!!!! keep up the great work and stay positive!

Keep us all posted on your progress...

 

[alikatt]

Mrs. P...do you think its possible for me to do nationals in 17 weeks based on the information I've given? Thank you for responding...you gave me some great advise. I've started back on a structured diet as of today. The whole "eat anything" diet doesn't work well with my body haha

 

[alikatt]

Dobie Q, thanks for your advise as well! I will take another week off from cardio. I started back to a somewhat regimented diet today with higher protein than my prep diet and of course, more carbs. I'm hitting about 1300 calories right now. I will move up slowly as Mrs. P advised. I will keep you all posted.

 

[3J]

Its nice to see the females in here supporting each other. I really enjoyed reading this thread. Some knowledgeable advice given here!

On a side not. I agree with Mrs p. Forget the show. Fix your metabolism. Also get checked for food allergies. Your probably reactive to a lot of the stuff you have been eating.

 

[Mrs P]

Mrs. P...do you think its possible for me to do nationals in 17 weeks based on the information I've given? Thank you for responding...you gave me some great advise. I've started back on a structured diet as of today. The whole "eat anything" diet doesn't work well with my body haha

Is hard to tell, depends on your body composition, fat to muscle ratio, etc....to lose 25 lbs in 17 weeks u would need to lose 4.2 lbs a week, which is pretty drastic & u would haev to lose the same amount each week, and keep in mind u don't want to sacrisfice muscle...

I think u should really take some time, be proud for your accomplishments thus far, it takes a lot of dedication to do what you have done.. For now focus on getting yourself where u need to be, if not in 17 weeks maybe for the next competition..
Dieting has a lot to do with getting to know your body and wich "diet" works best for you.. I would also suggest u stay away from Var or anything else until u build a stong diet/trainign foundation.

and like 3J said look into food allergies, you'll be amazed how it can affect your digestive system, etc.

Hope u keep us update it on you progress~

 

[alikatt]

Is hard to tell, depends on your body composition, fat to muscle ratio, etc....to lose 25 lbs in 17 weeks u would need to lose 4.2 lbs a week, which is pretty drastic & u would haev to lose the same amount each week, and keep in mind u don't want to sacrisfice muscle...

I think u should really take some time, be proud for your accomplishments thus far, it takes a lot of dedication to do what you have done.. For now focus on getting yourself where u need to be, if not in 17 weeks maybe for the next competition..
Dieting has a lot to do with getting to know your body and wich "diet" works best for you.. I would also suggest u stay away from Var or anything else until u build a stong diet/trainign foundation.

and like 3J said look into food allergies, you'll be amazed how it can affect your digestive system, etc.

Hope u keep us update it on you progress~

Mrs. P,

Was gonna post my "new" diet (the one with higher cals) to get your opinion. I'm also very curious about carb cycling. I've read a ton of your posts regarding carb cycling and I know you are a believer. I've never tried it and am so accustomed to LOW CARB only with ONE cheat meal weekly for show prep. I wouldn't even know where to begin... Here's my diet:

Meal 1: 3 egg whites, 2 oz 99% lean ground turkey
1/3 cup oats or 4 tbsp (dry measure) cream of wheat with 1 tsp flaxseed oil

Meal 2: 1 can of low sodium tuna with 1 tsp spicy mustard
1 cup broccoli
3 oz sweet potato

Meal 3: 4 oz chicken
2 cups spinach with 1/3 cup red pepper and cucumber
1 oz avocado

Meal 4: 4 oz 99% lean ground turkey
1 cup green beans and 1/3 cup green peas

POST WORKOUT SHAKE (I use SFH organic protein)

Meal 5: 4 oz mahi or tilapia (sometimes chicken bc I love it!)
12 asparagus spears
3 oz sweet potato

Thats the jist of it....

 

[Mrs P]

Mrs. P,

Was gonna post my "new" diet (the one with higher cals) to get your opinion. I'm also very curious about carb cycling. I've read a ton of your posts regarding carb cycling and I know you are a believer. I've never tried it and am so accustomed to LOW CARB only with ONE cheat meal weekly for show prep. I wouldn't even know where to begin... Here's my diet:

Meal 1: 3 egg whites, 2 oz 99% lean ground turkey
1/3 cup oats or 4 tbsp (dry measure) cream of wheat with 1 tsp flaxseed oil

Meal 2: 1 can of low sodium tuna with 1 tsp spicy mustard
1 cup broccoli
3 oz sweet potato

Meal 3: 4 oz chicken
2 cups spinach with 1/3 cup red pepper and cucumber
1 oz avocado

Meal 4: 4 oz 99% lean ground turkey
1 cup green beans and 1/3 cup green peas

POST WORKOUT SHAKE (I use SFH organic protein)

Meal 5: 4 oz mahi or tilapia (sometimes chicken bc I love it!)
12 asparagus spears
3 oz sweet potato

Thats the jist of it....

Hi,

How many calories are u currently eating with this diet ? and what are your stats ?
The one thing I would do is not have the sweet potato with your last meal, u should keep your last meal just protein & greens.

I do think carb cycling works really well, it looks complicated it but it really isn't.. you pretty much keep your carb storage full and then slowly empty it by cutting your intake of carbs, once they are depleted, you can start replenishing & restocking your glycogen stores...
So on hte low days your allowing your body to burn your available fat supply.



There are different "patterns" or "cycles" of carb cycling, I like to do a 3 days low carb followed by one day of higher carbs.. some do 2 days followed by one day og higher carbs.

Here's a breakdown so u get an idea.

Higher carbs days

Carbs/ 1.0 grams per pound of body weight
Protein/ 0.75 grams per pound of body weight
Fat/ as little as possible

Low & moderate days

Carbs/ 0.2-0.5 grams per pound of body weight
Protein/ 0.9-1.0 grams per pound of body weight
Fat/ 0.1-0.2 grams per pound of body weight

Remeber to not pay much attention to the scale weight, our weight fluctuates with your glycogen and hydration levels..

 

[49ER]

Can we see a bikini pic? Thad be nice just saying