Mental side of dieting

[CHIQUITITA]

I was prepping for my first contest show and was was pretty diligent and anal about following my diet/training plan to a "T" but all of a sudden I hit a mental brick wall and the world as I knew it crashed around me. Needless to say I'm not going to meet my set date and actually am rescheduling to to a show in November now. I would love to hear about how some of you competitors mentally deal with dieting down for competition. It seems like some people are just able to flip a switch and do what needs to be done, while others struggle more with staying on plan.

Has this gotten easier over time for any of you? Do you notice any trends or tendencies in yourself that you watch out for or plan for in advance? Any thoughts, tips or insights to share?

Thanks in advance!

[diezel85]

competition dieting sucks we all know lol. this is how i think of things: when you are done the diet the food you crave is always going to be there. its not like pizza is suddenly gonna fall of the face of the earth haha. also in the 12-20 weeks of dieting your body looks better and better so that actually drives me to stay on point in itself. and i def. thinks it gets easier each time you do it b/c eventually you will just get used to it. so like you said its just like flipping a switch :bigsmile

[iuhoosiers]

Two things help i think. 1) have a motivational icon or figure (if you will sort of your diet god) and everytime you want to break your diet or not train or whatever look at touch do something that will guilt yourself back into your regiment. 2) at the beginning of my diet i have a cheat day where i can eat whatever i want whenever i want (just not past 8 pm for me) However, this is obviously ineffective come showtime, but has helped me get past the first two weeks or so of cravings. *You will start to realize you don't crave bad foods anymore and the cheat day will sort of fizzle out of your diet. Well thats all i got man, but dieting much like life is all about motiviation and perseverance. GL!

[Onerepmaximum]

Well for me, I was pretty anal, too. Weighing my chicken breast so I know how many calories and protein and what not. Writing everything down, that kind of thing. If you eat something you weren't supposed to, don't just do away with the plan. Unless you ate bad for like 2 days straight, you probably didn't set yourself back very far. There will be stumbling blocks. So stumble, but don't fall.

[CHIQUITITA]

Thank you for your input gentlemen.

Originally Posted by Onerepmaximum

There will be stumbling blocks. So stumble, but don't fall.

I guess the key here is to pick yourself up and dust yourself off and move on. I'm banging my head here on this one... as like you 1RM I was REAL anal about wieghing everything and soo diligent about not missing a workout.... that is until lifes stressors really took it's toll on me mentally. Since I've rescheduled the comp date I've really tried psyching myself out to get my "mental" game back in line and for the life of me I'm having the hardest time finding it. Anyway, just trying to figure out how to get my game face back and get back into action.... anyone ever been in a similar situation?

[Voodoo]

Chiqui, I hope you get back to where you need to be for your competition and for you personal life.

I think all of you who answered this are awesome to help her like that.

[Voodoo]

Sorry I have no input for you woman.
I am on a see-food diet.
If I see it, ima eat it.

[Gator_Mclusky]

You'll get back on track. Ive had my prollems in that area as well. I think once the stress is down to a minimum you will achieve your goals. You did it professionally so you can conquer this as well!

Good luck.

[Onerepmaximum]

Originally Posted by CHIQUITITA

.... anyone ever been in a similar situation?

I'd be willing to bet that almost anyone who has ever had the guts to step onstage has been in that situation. Contest prep, specifically the last 4 weeks of contest prep is the hardest. Your body has gone through so many changes, you've lost so much weight, your mind plays tricks on you.

You aren't alone on this, trust me. Have you ever been to watch a local show? If not, you should. You may be suprised at the way some of those people look when they get onstage. It's almost as if they woke up and said to themselves, "I wonder if there are any bodybuilding contests today. I'm gonna get in it." If you go to that show and don't compete, you'll be kicking yourself for not stepping onstage.