5 weeks out – my prep to stage 2022

After all the adjustments last week, I definitely noticed the diet affecting me – not from a physical perspective, but rather mentally.

Diet

After we dropped calories in the past week, we have not made any further changes. My weight is dropping down big time. In the past week, I have lost -0,8kg compared to the past week’s average before. It constantly dropped until it made a big jump back up on the day I got my period. This time of the month, it is normal to have a higher body weight than on the other days. The reasons are the hormonal fluctuations leading to water retention. I always have about one kilogram more on the scale when my period starts. At this weight, it remains for two or three days, and after it goes back down one kilo to the initial weight or even lower.

To all the ladies reading this, keep in mind that the weight during your period does not represent your normal body weight. It is the time of the month when your body is going through a lot of stress and holds more water. Sadly, it can be pretty standard for some women to feel like Spongebob or a balloon on the first days of the period. I admit I do every single time feel like that.

I am still at about 1800 kcal. You can find the detailed macro split on training and rest days in my previous blog post (LINK). I continue to eat flexibly for another week, and then I will start to eat very similar or even exact same foods day in and day out. This will help us have even more control over the past weeks and steer my body to my best physique yet for the stage.

Meal of the week: This past week, I absolutely craved spinach. I have the weirdest cravings every now and then, primarily for veggies or fruit. But this week, I ate a ton of spinach, which I have not eaten for a very long time. And if so, at least not to that extent. So favorite combo this week is veggies spinach, eggs, and cottage cheese. 😊

Light diet meal, spinach, cottage cheese, egg and veggies (roughly 400 kcal)

Workout:

My workouts are great. I was still lifting heavy, and I mostly didn’t drop weights overall. I struggle on some lifts definitely now in Prep. Sometimes, I reduce the load in one session and focus on the mind-muscle connection. After, I usually hit my past personal best again or even a higher number after. One step back, two steps forward.

I went roadcycling outside for my cardio sessions in the beautiful weather we had last week. Cycling is therapy for me, and therefore didn’t feel like exercise. I went for an hour, so I buffered up cardio for the other rest day. It felt great, but in the end, I got hungry… Learning for next time: take a snack. Usually, in off-season I go cycling for three hours without any need for snack, hunger or drop in energy. Now, in Prep, after 50 minutes I start feeling exhausted and need some carbs. This is crazy to me but obviously logic.

Overall feelings

This week, everything came together. A lot of stress, pressure, and expectations I set on myself and my body, already being in a weakened position because of Prep and period, lead to mental challenges. It was a tough week… Having a solid support system around me helped me get through it. Such times put everything in perspective. You can have the biggest goals, and achieving them IS HARD. Although it might seem easy to people, so much work goes into it. The people you surround yourself with are the most important for you to achieve anything. This week was mentally the hardest yet.

Summary

This week was tough, but I think the most significant milestone to push through this Prep. A lot was going on in my personal life, leading to a lot of stress. Prep week itself was good. Workouts remain strong, weight is dropping, and food is still delicious.

This weekend, I went to do a stage make-up and hair workshop. It was super interesting, and I feel confident that I am ready to go on show day after a few more trials. Also, I have ordered about 1000 crystals to put on my bikini, and then it will be all done, and finally, I will be all ready for the stage. The best feeling is that my whole package, from the body to make-up to hair, will be my own work – of course, with the help of my coach and mentors on the way.

Interested in previous posts on this topic?

travel, health, fitness, movement & recovery

Diet

Workout:

Overall feelings

Summary

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