Apparently “foody” isn’t a word…  I know “foodie” is acceptable, but it’s not appropriate for this post so I had to come up with my own creation. Foodie infers some kind of culinary creativity or skill, this is simply a post about food in general – from what I enjoyed post-show, to how my transition plan is structured. So, it’s pretty foody in nature, if food can be a verb.

As I mentioned in my last blog post, the time following a show can be crucial in how your body responds and rebounds. It’s been in a depleted state for a while, not used to certain foods, if you continue to eat freely, loading up on all the sugary, starchy carbs you’ve been craving, your body will rebel against you and you’ll look like a water balloon. This feels pretty crappy – mentally and physically. Good-bye abs, hello puffy face and swollen ankles!

A good reverse diet is critical here. To be totally honest, this is the first time I’ve reverse dieted with a structured plan. I’ve always just kind of winged it, eating mostly the same foods as prep, and enjoying some small snacks here and there. This isn’t terrible by any means, but it’s really hard to stay accountable, and it’s hard to stick to a limited number of snacks without it snowballing. All those little things can add up pretty quickly!

My current plan

The goal is to get your calorie and carb count up gradually over time (usually over 4 – 6 weeks), back to where you were at the start of prep. Then, keep increasing them steadily (as your body can tolerate them) until your next prep starts. By starting prep with high calorie and carb counts, you can essentially diet down without getting too low in nutrients – a great feeling for a competitor.

“So, what did you EAT??”

This is always the question we get asked post-show, so here you go! Saturday night we went out for a good dinner with some friends. I thoroughly enjoyed a spicy perogy burger, fries, and an amazing apple crisp dessert with ice cream.

I never go for apple desserts, but this was amazing and I would order it again and again.

On Sunday, we all went out for breakfast and I had a pretty basic breakfast with scrambled eggs, home fries, sausage, and two mini blueberry crepes. Throughout Sunday, I ate my regular meals from prep when I was hungry, but would take a few bites of some cake batter blondies I baked (amazinggg). For dinner, I suddenly craved a giant salad and sushi, so I got some from the grocery store and paired it with a caramel peanut donut.

I saw these online the week of my competition and had to try them. They’re incredible and super easy – can’t get much better than that for a dessert. Not even remotely healthy, which is fine with me!

Moderation and balance post-show. Tuna garden salad, chicken sushi, and some dessert… which I had to try before dinner, apparently.

Monday marked day one of my “transition” plan. Overall, my calories are up almost 500 a day, slightly increased carbs from my last two weeks of prep, decreased protein, and a LOT of healthy fat sources.

Four of my six meals – protein from chicken, ground beef, and salmon. Plenty of veggies and fat from flax seeds, avocado, olive oil, and the beef and salmon. Not pictured are my pre / post workout shakes and a serving of Greek yogurt.

To be honest, I’m still fearful of eating a lot of fat. But, it’s a great source of energy (as it’s calorie dense) but it won’t cause me to retain water, like carbs would, which is a huge bonus. By allowing your body to slowly adjust to the addition of nutrients, the goal is to keep body fat low, stay leaner, and get up to a calorie level where muscle growth can still happen. Sign me up!

I was browsing my favorite store… the grocery store… and saw this. It adds a little extra flavor.

While the scale really doesn’t matter at this point, I’m using it regularly this week, out of interest in how this plan is working. The morning of my competition, I was 140lbs, after the indulgences on Saturday & Sunday, I was 146lbs, today (a week post-show), I’m happily sitting at 141lbs. Not too shabby, considering how concerned I was about blowing up and looking terrible.  I look exactly the same as I did on stage basically (even holding onto some of that tan). Success!

This week has been really hectic, I’ve never felt organized or on track. Every night was busy with meal prep (new plans are always more work), laundry, and other work deadlines. We’re off again for the weekend, but planning on being home early on Sunday to get organized for the week. I hate feeling off track, so hopefully next week is better! Have a great weekend!