My family is very accustomed to my crazy diets for my shows. Personally, I try to warn my family about a month in advance so that they are aware of my food intake, crazy moods swings and constant lack of being present as I begin the daily routine of being at the gym 2-3 times a day. I am blessed to have a family that is somewhat aware of what I go through and they typically refrain from bitching when I bring my food to family gatherings, heat my fish up in the microwave, smell the house up with different scents of protein,etc . So I ask to all of you who are dealing with a competitor in your life, to please keep the complaining and looks of disgust in mind as we try to support our following competitors that have to eat out of tupperware and ziploc bags , we dont love it, we just do it.
We are routine and regimented. That means that day in and day out for the next 16-20 weeks we have a schedule that we have to stick too. The biggest thing I deal with is individuals bitching that I can't go out with them or all I do is lift and eat. If you can't support and accept that 3/4 of my year is prep and the other 1/4 is off-season then see ya Chico, Bye Felicia. I chose this lifestyle because it's what I love, I don't ask people why they choose to spend thousands of dollars on their hobbies and lifestyles and you shouldn't question my happiness either.
Please, please, please don't reoccuringly ask a competitor to taste a food they can't have or say "it's just a bite", "one taste won't hurt your diet", "you won't get fat from eating that plate of food", etc. I have heard it all. We are already starving as it is, as well as living with a constant caloric deficit and keeping that mindset focused is a hell of a lot easier without someone pushing food in your face that you can't eat. So as much as any of us would love to jam a plate full of pasta and loaves of Italian bread in our mouths, We just can't at the moment. We are not trying to disrespect Grandma Pearls homemade pies or Aunt Laverne's walnut brownies, we understand it took time to make them, but as competitors we have visions that are extremely hard to accomplish without perfect consistency.
As a seasoned competitor I honestly have no problem with people eating food in front of me that I cannot eat. Personally , I like watching others eat what I cannot, I kind of just try to savor it through their senses....okay now a quick awkward pause because you probably think I am super creepy now...
Anyways, we are not all like that, especially for the newcomers. If you have someone you know that is prepping and are unsure if the food will offend them or not, just simply ask. I tell people to treat competitors like we have a food allergy (please take no offense to this comparison) and just ask to make sure it's okay to be around certain foods. That's the easiest way to go about that gray area that many people are always wondering about.
Here is a very, very crucial thing to remember. The longer we are prepping and dieting, the more caloric deficit we get . This also means that our brain functioning gets a bit whacky as well and some of us get some intense mood swings...I am definitely included in this- quick relevant story:
Morning of my show my Coach always has me carb up on pancakes. I had to get up at 4 a.m. and the hotel I was staying at for that show unfortunately didn't have breakfast until 6. I have a schedule so I have to have pancakes at that time so Kyle [fiancee] ran to McDonald's and grabbed me some of their pancakes. Well he ordered me the wrong combination.... *cue mental breakdown mega Shan-Trum *... I flipped out on him telling him he didn't support my prep and should just forget about coming to my show and he didn't take my competing seriously, and that he was never allowed to come to a other show because he wants me to fail ....and *cue food in my mouth* ended Shan-Trum completely. ...
So like I was saying we are bit unstable and on edge, especially during that peak week. So please remember that if we seem a bit more irritated or grumpy just try and be supportive as possible, trust me, I know it's hard but we all appreciate it more than you realize.
In the end, I think I can speak for all of us competitors that regardless how hard or easy our preps are, we genuinely appreciate those who do take the time to help our preps run smoothly and get us closer to our dreams.
Best of luck to everyone heading into prep this season. I'm right along with you, sitting at 15 weeks out from the first show of the year. Follow me on Instagram @shanisfierce for daily updates on my prep.
Xo Shan
Please, please, please don't reoccuringly ask a competitor to taste a food they can't have or say "it's just a bite", "one taste won't hurt your diet", "you won't get fat from eating that plate of food", etc. I have heard it all. We are already starving as it is, as well as living with a constant caloric deficit and keeping that mindset focused is a hell of a lot easier without someone pushing food in your face that you can't eat. So as much as any of us would love to jam a plate full of pasta and loaves of Italian bread in our mouths, We just can't at the moment. We are not trying to disrespect Grandma Pearls homemade pies or Aunt Laverne's walnut brownies, we understand it took time to make them, but as competitors we have visions that are extremely hard to accomplish without perfect consistency.
As a seasoned competitor I honestly have no problem with people eating food in front of me that I cannot eat. Personally , I like watching others eat what I cannot, I kind of just try to savor it through their senses....okay now a quick awkward pause because you probably think I am super creepy now...
Anyways, we are not all like that, especially for the newcomers. If you have someone you know that is prepping and are unsure if the food will offend them or not, just simply ask. I tell people to treat competitors like we have a food allergy (please take no offense to this comparison) and just ask to make sure it's okay to be around certain foods. That's the easiest way to go about that gray area that many people are always wondering about.
Here is a very, very crucial thing to remember. The longer we are prepping and dieting, the more caloric deficit we get . This also means that our brain functioning gets a bit whacky as well and some of us get some intense mood swings...I am definitely included in this- quick relevant story:
Morning of my show my Coach always has me carb up on pancakes. I had to get up at 4 a.m. and the hotel I was staying at for that show unfortunately didn't have breakfast until 6. I have a schedule so I have to have pancakes at that time so Kyle [fiancee] ran to McDonald's and grabbed me some of their pancakes. Well he ordered me the wrong combination.... *cue mental breakdown mega Shan-Trum *... I flipped out on him telling him he didn't support my prep and should just forget about coming to my show and he didn't take my competing seriously, and that he was never allowed to come to a other show because he wants me to fail ....and *cue food in my mouth* ended Shan-Trum completely. ...
So like I was saying we are bit unstable and on edge, especially during that peak week. So please remember that if we seem a bit more irritated or grumpy just try and be supportive as possible, trust me, I know it's hard but we all appreciate it more than you realize.
In the end, I think I can speak for all of us competitors that regardless how hard or easy our preps are, we genuinely appreciate those who do take the time to help our preps run smoothly and get us closer to our dreams.
Best of luck to everyone heading into prep this season. I'm right along with you, sitting at 15 weeks out from the first show of the year. Follow me on Instagram @shanisfierce for daily updates on my prep.
Xo Shan
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