Hi Jean- 

       I want to start in the field of bodybuilding; I competed last summer as
a figure competitor and have a diet that got me down to 13% BF,
gaining 5 pounds of muscle. I am 135 lbs., 5"3'. 

I think that I am desperately restricting my calories to make up for
the post contest flab of now 19-20% that I need to shed. No carbs after
12pm etc... I want to build some muscle but also am motivated by the
definition and being able to see those muscles working! I also have a hard
time because I like variety and taste to my food! 

What sort of diet and supplementation would you recommend other than
the initial vitamin, creatine, glutamine, fat burners, etc... and
protein? 

I am currently splitting my body parts into 5 days, one hour long a
piece. Legs, Shoulders/Back, chest/abs, back/bi, shoulders/triceps. My
current weight makes it hard to get those pull-ups in as well!!!

I am doing one hour of cardio a day: 30 mins morning before eating and
20 mins after weights all in my zone-75-80%. 

I know this is a lot of information, but I really need a place to go
for serious nutritional support for competing seriously. I would like to
try a contest this next year. 

Thanks so much-

MD

          I never thought I would be a bodybuilder.  If someone told me ten years ago that I would strut around on stage in a rhinestone-studded bikini and heals, I would have actually had a knee-slapping laugh reaction (KSLR).

            I started in powerlifting because it seemed logical; there was a contest and I was strong for my size.  Then a series of completely random gym people told me "all I would need to do is diet" to do a bodybuilding contest.  I shrugged it off at first; there was simply zero interest in starving myself and prancing around on stage. Zip.

            Then I met Audra.  She was absolutely the most stunning woman I had ever seen.  She was highly muscular all over, but completely feminine.  She looked strong, confident, and gorgeous.  She was a natural female bodybuilder and had just competed  (and won overall) in her first show.  My ideas about bodybuilding had changed in an instant.  Between getting to know her and dating a natural pro, I developed the drive to compete.

            Today, I was looking through my early training logs from this period (it was three years ago) and had a KSLR from the notes.  Some days detailed grueling workouts and others simply stated "One set of triceps; cried a lot; went home."

            Bodybuilding is a total mind-fuck.  I backed out of my first contest, then attended the contest and realized I would have placed well.  I continued to diet for about 5 months, and during that period another bodybuilder/trainer came up to me and said "your ripped; what show are getting for?"

            I wasn't sure "Oh, one sometime soon, maybe in a couple of months."

            "You're ready now" he protested.  "I have a couple of clients entering this show in 5 weeks and they're not nearly as lean as you—you should enter too!"

            That was the push I needed.  After 6 months of dieting, I went on stage and won overall in my first bodybuilding show.  At that time, I had a different bodybuilder boyfriend who was generally concerned about my pattern of strict dieting with no clear plans for a show in site.  I was addicted to being lean.  I was a little chunker my whole life and then, in a few months, I became the girl with awesome abs and ripped arms.  I had totally remade my image and boosted my confidence (and arrogance) by ten-fold.  I didn't want to let go of that.

            But then, being lean got less cool.  I lost my period in the last two months of my diet. After that, my hair started to get brittle and weak and clumps of it fell out in the shower.  My upper body, which had never lacked in size or strength, was weak and chronically injured. I was getting sick more often; my pulse was 42.

            After the contest, my boyfriend kept his house stocked with all of my favorite junk foods.  I knew there was Reeses ice ream in the freezer and, well, all he really needed to stock was the ice cream.  He took me out to eat and ordered dessert whether I said I wanted it or not. I gained about 7-8 pounds right away and simply felt enormous; I had no abs, and my tiny clothes where too tight to wear.  On the other hand, I started my period again within 2 months and was able to lift harder in the gym again, though the injuries never went away completely.

            After a few weeks of ad libitum ice cream eating, I went back to a pretty healthy, clean diet, though there was a lot more of it than before and I did NOT severely limit high-carb foods, like sweet potatoes, oats, and fruits.  Though I was still leaner than I was before my first bodybuilding adventure, I still felt out of shape.  THAT WAS A DISTORTION!  As an athletic person, with lots of muscle, you will look bigger than a "finny" person in your off-season, but, if you do it right, you are still an athlete and still look fit, even though you may be falling short of your own unreasonable expectations.  Also, my boyfriend was a champion of my weight-gain for a reason.  He had to be around me the more than anyone and I was probably not entirely pleasant.  Chronic dieting is not only unhealthy and counter-productive, but also selfish to you family, friends and employer.  If you are constantly obsessing about your food, it will be hard to be "on" in other area of your life.  And you do have a life, right?

            All physique competitors, and especially women, must gain a certain amount of weight to make muscular gains and be healthy.  This does not mean that you need to gain 50lb and have a gut, but it does mean that you need to chill and allow your body to rebuild.  What does this mean?

1. Limit cardio:  Cardio is a tool to get you lean; long cardio sessions like the woman above is doing are detrimental and limit its effectiveness when you need it most.  She should taper down to one half-hour session per day; she should have a goal of only doing cardio 3-4 20-minute sessions per week MAX during her off-season.  Wow!  Now there's  time for a hobby or even a social life!
2. Eat more; don't restrict carbohydrates obsessively.  Yes, you will gain weight.  Yes you will gain some fat.  Yes, you will walk around with a little more water in your body.
3. Eat more calories overall, just make sure that they are clean.  Slowly increase the portion of the foods you are eating now and add in a couple of servings of fruits or whole grain, or legumes
4. Make sure you are getting your healthy fats—eat a few nuts or a serving of fatty fish every day.
5. Supplement creatine, BCAA, carbs and protein, at minimum.
6. Don't go to the other extreme and be an off season slouch.  Be aware that you do have goals (to compete in bodybuilding) but that you also have other responsibilities.  Do what you need to be ready in the future; train hard, eat lots of good, healthy food, and supplement around your workouts properly.

To a competitor, the photo on the far left may look out of shape.  But at 17.5% body fat I'm leaner than every member of a division I women's basketball team (I tested this myself).  It's not fat, it's just not contest shape.  Your muscle with some fat over it will not be slim, but it's important to find the beauty in your body in all forms; easier said than done, I know.