Hello everyone and welcome back to Bikinis After Babies.
Thank you so much for joining us today.
I of course am one of your hosts, Mandy Rashaun, here with your other fabulous
host.
Hey everybody, this is Jillian Hughes joining you with the tail end of a sad
prep girly cold.
We actually pushed off recording this episode a couple of days, like so I could
get my voice back, but I still sound terrible.
But we're here and we're excited to bring you another episode.
Thank you all so much for tuning in.
Thank you for all of your comments as well.
We just love to hear feedback from all of our audience members.
And that's what we're going to do today is do some.
Q &A and kind of talk about some topics that our audience has asked us about.
Prep brain.
Struggling to get words out of my mouth.
my God.
So bad.
I knew this was going to happen.
I remember when we decided to do this in November.
and we were talking about the timeline of our shows.
I'm like, there's gonna come a point where we cannot function and it's gonna be a
mess.
And I don't know if we're there.
You seem good today.
I'm not.
I feel like, so originally, if you guys are new to this podcast, originally we
usually record our episodes on Monday or Tuesday.
That was not happening this week.
That was not.
With you being sick and me being really, really just worn out, yeah.
Yeah, Jillian and I both.
roughest part.
a half weeks out from our show and we're both doing different shows and we're doing
different shows at different parts of the country so that's kind of neat but you
know it is it's just the nitty -gritty of it you know higher cardio lower calories
you know just really at the tail end push and it's like things happen like you get
sick your voice was shot the other day when you sent me a message there was just
no there was no way but I will say at least
we both had a good, a really good Mother's Day.
Like, we did.
I, so, my Mother's Day, so I'll tell you about my Mother's Day, it seriously was
probably, I will never be able to recreate it.
It was so amazing.
So my son always plays in a soccer tournament on Mother's Day.
It's called the Mother's Day Soccer Tournament for one of the leagues here.
It is called the Mother, where is it at?
classic.
here, I'm actually, if you guys are watching on YouTube, I'll have to show you
guys.
If you guys are watching, so, okay, but this, this is the, yeah, if you guys are
watching on YouTube, this is the trophy my son got and gave it to me, because he was
the star player of the tournament.
So they all got medals on.
Yeah.
So I went to a play.
We had Mother's Day time together.
It was super great.
Like the boys got me cute gifts, but we had to fit in all the soccer games.
So we were still running around like crazy all weekend and we, you know, won all our
games.
So we were in the championship game and Carson just played so well.
Like it was, it was amazing how well he played.
Like the parents, the kids are like, he deserves this, take this.
So like, and then,
it to me and I was like happy Mother's Day.
So how was your Mother's Day?
Well, Saturday night, we went to a banquet for the end of season for cheerleading.
So I drank water and pretended to have fun.
I mean, it's fine.
I will tell you, like, my, the moms that I hang out with in cheer, they're so
awesome.
Like, they, they were just genuinely curious about the show and the process.
And like, nobody was like, why aren't you eating?
Like,
try this, this is healthy.
Like nobody was giving me any crap at all, but I still had to like pay for a ticket
and like, you know, be in there, whatever.
And it ran late and I was really tired, but it was still, you know, that was
Saturday and then Sunday.
we actually didn't have any kids on Sunday.
So, my kids were with their dad and Brian's kids were with their mom.
So we went and got massages together.
That was great, except I'm skinny.
And his lady was like,
just digging in my lower back.
She's like, it's so tight.
I'm like, no, that's bones.
It's not tight.
Ouch.
Like I think she was like massaging my kidney.
And I had a couple of bruises from it, but like, you know, I won't get another one
until after my season is done.
Like that's kind of the cutoff for body work is like about like the three week out
mark, because if you do end up with any bruises, like the tan is not really going
to cover it.
So it felt really good.
That was like really nice.
And then I didn't have to cook.
So.
Mm -hmm.
felt really good.
Well, which is surprising.
When I was laying there, I'm like, my throat kind of hurts.
Like, that's really weird.
And then I wake up the next day, super, super sick.
So I must have, it must have been like kind of coming on.
And I think like Saturday when I was doing cardio and my throat was hurting, I'm
like, it must just be allergies.
And then lo and behold, here we are with this like barking cough and I, I'm so
nasally and my voice is all raspy.
I'm like, it's just great.
Perfect timing.
But.
Like the silver lining is that it isn't, you know, the week before the show,
because I actually talked to a girl who's from our area that's competing this
weekend and she has it right now and it's her peak week.
I know she I think she listens to the show, too.
I know.
And I'm like, girl.
But she said her coach has her doing kind of like just recovery days this week
anyways.
So she's just trying to like get better.
And it just sucks because you just feel like, you know, like even my tummy and my
digestion doesn't feel great.
Like when I'm sick.
Yeah, I can't imagine being sick during peak week.
I've been sick obviously during preps, but like never that close.
Never even three, four weeks close.
So, but you're getting better.
You're already feeling better.
yeah, I do.
I'm starting to feel better today.
I just, it's hard to sleep, you know, it's hard to sleep anyways.
Like sleep quality for a lot of people is not great in prep towards the end.
You know, it's just, it's part of it.
Like everything changes as your body gets stage lean, sleep quality and digestion,
all those things change.
And so.
You know, I normally get a good solid like six hours, but I think I was up like every
two hours last night.
So I still like I'm probably a day or so away from feeling like my best, but I
checked in this morning.
Like it hasn't slowed me down.
I think probably what wore me down.
Have we done a podcast since I came back from Florida?
I don't know, but I was in Florida for cheerleading.
And then the weekend before that was our big team show in St.
Louis.
And that was like a 20 hour day for both of us.
We were pretty beat down after that one.
Yeah.
just, you know, our bodies, like life doesn't slow down.
like we're juggling businesses and kids and, you know, and Celeste actually made
an awesome post today about that, like how it's important to like keep life going
when you're in prep, because, you know, nothing stops because of prep, but it
just, it's like, May is crazy with end of the school year and all of the sports and
end of one season into the new season.
And I have two kids.
graduating like one's graduating middle school and other ones graduating
elementary school and then summer and it's then Mother's Day and Memorial Day and
it's like it's just so much right now but it's okay.
much.
I like, I know it's always busy this time of year, but like that is, you can't stop,
you know?
Like the world doesn't stop going just because you're in a prep.
It like, I will say like yesterday, I had to super mom mode it.
It was crazy.
Like I had, I, from like 5 a on, like it was, it was my, all my stuff, like cardio,
workout, business, clients.
I had to go meet a posing client.
I had a supplement company I was talking with.
if I had all of this stuff get back home and then I had to like, okay, we have
soccer tryouts, I have high school soccer that's starting, I have to schedule this
and this and this and going through all our business stuff, it doesn't ever stop.
But the whole time I'm doing all that, my little lunchbox is with me with all my
food in it, right?
Yeah.
say, that's like my favorite thing is like, I'm just so automatic about like my
training time.
And when I stretch, when I do vacuums and then my meals, I don't have to think, I
don't give any energy to my food, which is like really nice.
Cause then I can use my brain for other stuff.
And you know, I just take it with and things are prepped and it really does make
things a lot easier.
So, but, but yeah, we're coasting along.
I think.
We're gonna make it.
My suit came in this week.
It's really pretty.
It actually came on Mother's Day.
It's so pretty.
It came on Mother's Day with my new hair extensions and then my team Atlas robe,
which is really pretty.
And there was one other thing, my makeup palette, because I'm gonna do my own
makeup for this first show.
And which we can talk about why I'm doing that if we want to.
I don't know if we want to talk about that, but.
should you have someone do your makeup for you?
I always say yes to have someone do your makeup, but I do makeup for people for
shows.
And I found out the format of this show is all of the male NPC and IFBB competitors
go at 9 a and then all of the women go at 3 p and it starts with the pro bikini at
three.
So this happened to me once before I was competing in Sacramento and I booked with
a makeup artist and she was at a hotel that was like on the other side of the
city.
And my makeup time was like 2 p And I'm like, I don't think so.
Like, that's way too close to that time of being backstage.
And I don't want to be like stuck in an Uber.
And I don't like I don't I honestly don't want to get in an Uber to go get my makeup
done.
It's just too far.
So I do know for sure that the makeup artist I always use, who's V, will be at
the Host Hotel for Universe.
So I will absolutely book with her.
But I've done show makeup.
job.
Yes, and I love, I love, love having my makeup done.
It's just, it's wonderful.
But I think just for this first one and you know, and I do makeup for people for
shows.
So I just, yes, I bought an unnecessary palette that I probably don't need, but
it's, you know.
also think that's something to touch on too.
It's not just like, okay, if you choose to do your own makeup compared to if I choose
to do my own makeup.
I do not do makeup for a living.
I have never done that thick of makeup.
I have no makeup experience.
I've never done makeup on another person.
I'm not about to decide, well, I'm gonna do my own makeup for a show to save a
couple bucks.
For one, you're not even gonna save any money because you have to buy all the
makeup.
You have to take all of that energy that you barely have anyways and
put it into doing your makeup, you are already pretty nervous and pretty like
nervous, excited, all that stuff, right?
You already have all of that stuff going on.
Why are you gonna put that added, like if I did it, like why would I put that added
stress on me, right?
I tried to do my own hair one time, like a long, long time ago, and all I did was
like straighten it, and I still didn't like it, like because I was just like my
nerves.
But like that's why I will have, I actually just decided today I'm gonna have
the promoters.
makeup person do my makeup that's going to be at the show.
They're going to be backstage doing the makeup.
So I want to have a look.
recommend getting your makeup done.
I mean, unless you have a lot of product and you're really good at doing makeup,
but it's such a different look.
It's a lot darker.
And I have seen at some shows where it's just, it doesn't under the lights, it
doesn't pop enough or, you know, the lashes are too heavy and they're casting
like a little bit of a shadow on the face or there's too much contour or the faces.
lighter than the body.
So, I mean, it does take like having some knowledge about makeup.
And I've I had always done my own until I think it was like 2021 was the first time
I ever had anyone do my makeup for a show.
And I was like, like, this is the tits.
Like, this is really nice.
But then I did have the unfortunate experience of being almost late to pump up
just because the makeup artist was running late and it just gave me.
way more anxiety than that.
And that won't happen with V because she's the bomb.
Like she is so fast.
Like it's and she's amazing.
Like like her pictures, like they're her whole team.
And I just I love, love, love her.
So wherever she's going to be at a show, like I absolutely will use her.
But but yeah, I would recommend by the time you buy everything like I've seen on
YouTube, like amazing tutorials.
But by the time you buy the foundation and the.
concealer and the lipstick and everything you're probably gonna spend like over $150
anyways, so just get it done, you know?
just choked on water, sorry guys.
The struggle, that's gonna be the title of this episode.
The shit show struggle.
my God.
the struggles of being three and a half weeks out from a show.
But what I was gonna say is...
This is a good segue into what we are gonna talk about today, and that is some
common questions that we've seen come across are our feeds the past month, like
month, two months.
And we're just gonna kind of talk about a few of these today.
And one of them that we can definitely touch on is as you're getting closer to
your show, dealing with the hunger cravings and having to really suffer
through those feelings and how to kind of go about it.
Jillian, do you have any tips on this one?
Well, I mean, you might not like what I have to say.
ha ha!
I think that if it's your first experience, you might be surprised that
you're hungry.
And you know what's crazy is that you can be hungry on more food than you were
eating in your off season.
But your metabolism gets going.
You have more muscle.
Your body composition's changed.
You're burning through food because you're more active.
And you're like, you know.
But there's changes going on in your body.
Like your leptin and ghrelin levels are changing as you're dieting and as you're
getting leaner.
So, you know, you can be like, I'm starving.
But then when you like look at it, it's like, no, you're not like you're getting
160 grams of protein, you're eating, you know, 40, 50 grams of fat, 120, 140 grams
of carbs, like you're not starving, right?
But I think mentally for some people that can be really challenging because there's
just a lack of variety and you know, that that's really challenging.
So.
My first tip is just sort of like to expect it because I remember like when
flexible dieting came around and it was like, it was on the tail end of like this
phase that we went through in the industry where people were starting to learn about
metabolic fatigue.
And that was a really popular, widely improperly used term, intuitive eating and
like basically like knocking all of, all of.
bodybuilding and bodybuilding science and kind of saying, you know, don't do it this
way.
Otherwise you'll end up with a bad metabolism and you know, you'll have.
Right, right.
And so then it was almost like there was this like, like nuance that you could prep
for a show and not suffer.
And then if you were suffering, you were like, I must be the fattest client on
earth.
If my coach is, you know, I'm doing all this cardio and I have to suffer.
Like I'm clearly I suck at this, like this person over here.
is not doing any cardio and gets to eat all this food, whatever.
End of the day, everybody's different, but just to expect that it's gonna be hard.
And it's not that you can't do it, it's temporary, right?
But there are helpful things that you can do.
I think for me, one thing that I did differently this year that I did in prior
preps is instead of doing these like little mini meals, like six small meals, I
don't do it that way anymore.
I do like...
four, just four eating times, which I found has like actually really been great
for my digestion because I do really digest all my food and get my tummy like
really hungry before it's time to eat again.
But then I get to eat more at one sitting instead of having like, you know, little
bits of chicken throughout the day.
It's like I get to have bigger meals and it's more satisfying.
So that is a hack, like because it's the same food, it's just done differently.
So I think that that's a tip that, you know, you can work with your coach on.
to see if that's something you could do.
And then I love my La Croix, like that's my other thing, because I try not to do
like too many diet sodas or like sugar -free drinks, but like La Croix is like,
doesn't have any sweetener or really any taste to it at all.
Like, but it just.
those things.
I was like, La Crocs, La Croc.
I don't know.
I see them at the store.
I'm not a, I don't like the sparkling water, but I see them at the store and a
lot of people drink them.
And I'm like, La Croc?
What?
But I have no idea.
I don't know.
that and I don't know that I have any other ones.
I'm just I don't know.
you know, I think for me, for me personally, with my lifestyle and how I am
there, I have a few.
So I like to eat at the same times.
almost every day.
Now I know not everybody has that luxury.
Everybody like if you work a nine to five like Monday through Friday, you might, you
might be able to be like, I'm going to eat at these times.
And then I stick to those pretty close and it regulates my body really well because
if my body knows what's going to eat, it knows what's going to sleep.
It knows what's going to wake.
Like I get on a very good schedule.
And even with how busy I am, I've done that for so long that like I can almost
tell time by like my hunger.
So it's,
helps me quite a bit.
So I still like like for me.
I like the six meals.
I've just always done it It's always worked for me, but I will say if as my
calories dip down I will actually even split those meals I'll even like if I have
a meal that's like bigger than the other meals I'll be like, I might do seven meals
just to make like a small snack, but that's that's just me No because one of
them
I would be, that's a tease.
I don't like it.
So one of my meals is kind of big.
It's like a whole, it's a whole cup, like almost a whole cup of egg whites, veggies,
fruit and egg and an egg.
So like I hard boil egg and I have fruit and then I'll have that.
And then later on I'll have like the other part of it.
And then the rest of my meals are like the normal like chicken, like protein, veggies
stuff.
But I keep it like pretty simple.
Like I have my protein and veggies and I usually always have chicken and carrots or
chicken and asparagus.
I like to keep it really simple.
but another thing is kind of like you with like I don't I won't do the diet sugar
-free stuff it will just hurt my gut but I love decaf iced tea because like for one
it counts as water like because it's decaf so I'll put my stevia drops in there and
this little this little this big cup if you're watching on YouTube it's a giant or
if you're not watching on YouTube it's a giant Stanley Cup I will drink so much
iced tea with stevia and their decaf
iced tea with stevia.
But that and then sugar -free gum, not in excess, but like if I'm hungry and I'm
waiting for my next meal, like I'll have sugar -free gum.
Another thing I find with new athletes, this is very helpful.
It kind of goes back to what you were saying about.
expecting to be hungry, but like I feel like as women sometimes we start
overthinking the process.
We start thinking like, I'm really hungry, but am I really hungry?
Did I eat enough food?
Should I eat more food?
Is my coach right?
Is my coach wrong?
They you start going down this like downward spiral because we get too much
information.
Set alarms, like set alarms, set little reminders like hey you ate like like you
said enough protein at this meal.
Set an alarm.
like three hours or four hours, you know, that alarm will go off and be like, hey,
it's time to eat again.
Like even though you may not be hungry, you may not be used to it, but like, let's
say you're starving, but you can look back at your alarms and have it say like, this
is what you ate.
You're eating enough.
You're fine.
Everything's going to be fine.
It's just a part of the process.
And you can start training your brain to like kind of turn off and just, hey, I
don't need to worry about this until this thing dings again.
Like it can help.
you not get so mentally worked up.
Yeah.
But this also segues into, I like our segues.
It's like, it's like a road map.
Because I actually had this conversation yesterday with somebody.
And that is about your waistline, how to have a smaller waistline, right?
This is a, it like, we, how do bikini competitors, as you dial in for a show,
get smaller and smaller waistline, right?
Because.
At some point you start realizing, if you don't realize already, that training your
abs is not gonna necessarily get you a smaller waistline.
It's gonna get you some ab definition, but even then, you're gonna learn that it
doesn't.
But as we were talking about diet drinks, sugar -free drinks, those things can
actually hurt your waistline, even if they don't hurt your gut or stomach and you've
been drinking them in excess and they taste fantastic and it's awesome, but
you're kind of wondering, like, why am I holding water?
Why are my inches not going down?
Why is this happening?
It could be those drinks.
Those drinks.
Mm -hmm.
and processed stuff in general.
Like if you think of like processed food is processed.
So your body, you know, doesn't have to break it down.
Like it's already processed.
So it's just sitting in your stomach.
And those things just add to your waistline.
So I think by minimizing processed foods, which we kind of do in prep anyways,
unless you are a flexible dieter.
But I think that even when people do macros in prep, they're still really
eating like whole foods.
and they're making really clean choices because those foods just do really well in
your body.
So like if it runs on the ground or grows out of the ground, that's like the best
way to think about the foods that you're putting in your body.
And so that's like, that's the definition of like whole foods, like to me really.
And that's gonna make your waistline really, really tight.
Like I've had so many people be like, I'm going to this party and I wanna look super
hot.
Can I just do like a Pequick?
Like my waist was so small on Pequick.
And it's because like during peak week, you really do, you eliminate all your
fizzy drinks, you eliminate anything that's going to be gas producing.
So like if there's certain vegetables, like the biggest ones, broccoli,
cauliflower and onions are gas producing for some people.
so if you're eating those things, like that's going to add a small little bit to
that waistline.
and so, you know, we don't want those things.
Sodium is fine.
Like I tell people that's not what's bloating you at all.
And.
You really just want to always keep your sodium consistent throughout your prep and
through your peak week.
But yeah, just a lot of artificial sweeteners, fake foods, things like that
can really cause GI distress and a little bit of bloating.
But I think the waistline question, particularly because a lot of our
listeners have children, I do want to say it's important to have patience because if
you've had children, you know, your waistline grows over nine months.
It is not going to go back even within a year.
It will go back down to where, you know, you can have a great physique.
Can you have a competitive physique within a year?
It depends.
It's very rare.
Like Angelica did it, but also she's got phenomenal genetics.
Like she is not most women.
And I'm not saying that you can't work hard and get there, but will it happen in
that kind of a timeline?
Probably not.
but I have seen phenomenal results with waist training.
I have been wearing a waist trainer.
for every workout for at least six years.
I never not have it on, even when I'm like in my off season and I'm kind of chubby
and like I look ridiculous, but I don't care because when I'm in my off season and
I'm trying to build muscle, I don't wanna also build out my obliques.
You're lifting, doing like heavy rows or heavy squats.
Like I don't want my waistline to grow.
And lo and behold, every single year when I cut down, my waist is...
smaller and smaller and smaller because of waist training.
So a waist trainer is essentially like a corset.
And it just, it changes how you breathe.
It changes your posture.
It cinches everything in tight.
And it's, it's awesome.
So, I mean, I'm a huge advocate for that and stomach vacuums have helped me so
much.
we both use the same voice trainer the squeeze me skinny Yeah, which if you guys
want to take a look at the squeeze me skinny they're always in there always in
our show notes so you can always scroll down at any episode you can click on it
and We
code because it is the 10 inch is the 10 inch aggressive trainer is the one that I
recommend no matter what height you are because I think like the 10 inches like a
little bit long for me and I'm really really short but the next size up I think
is 12 inches and it's way too long even if you're tall so I think 10 inches is the
way to go.
The tenant, I have a tenant, so I'm almost 5 '7", I'm like 5 '6", I'm like 3 '4", 3
'4", so I can't talk.
And the 10 inch works like perfect for me.
But I will say like not just waist trainers, but also stomach vacuuming,
because that was kind of new for me.
And I feel like it was new for me because when I started in my fitness journey, it
just wasn't around.
And Carson was already three, four years old.
And so by the time
I got into like competing, I was like, I don't need to do these.
I don't need to do these.
And then over time, like, no, these are, these aren't just for people with kids.
Like you, you need to do them.
So stomach vacuuming like is so, so important.
And we will link like a good tutorial on how to do stomach vacuums below on the
show notes as well.
But doing those, like rather you're standing laying down, there's so many
different variations of doing them.
Just do it.
because that's another thing like...
like holding your transverse abdominis really, really tight, which is the deepest
layer of your abdominal muscles.
And if you've had a C -section, you'll know they cut through all of that, like
your external obliques, the rest of your abdominal wall, and then the TVA, which is
at the very bottom.
It's like your inner, they call it like your inner girdle.
And so you have to really strengthen that.
And so what...
the stomach vacuum technique is, is essentially breathing in a bunch of air,
letting it all out, and then like pulling your core in really tight and then holding
it, which will help you like with your posing and you know, it's, it's tough.
I recommend doing them all year round if you can.
I get an ice slack in my off season, I will say, cause they're not my favorite,
but they really do help.
And they're great for digestion too.
Like if you have, this is a little hack, but if you have a little, like a belly
bubble or like a little trapped gas,
do some stomach vacuums and it'll get that little trapped bubble out.
So,
those, doing those way more this season.
Mm -hmm.
of videos.
Like if you just like even look on, you know, TikTok or YouTube or whatever, you
know, and it's really simple.
Just I recommend doing like eight to 10 sets for 30 seconds once a day, or if you
want to break it up and do them twice a day.
But if, if you have trouble with them, just go and see a physical therapist for a
couple of sessions.
It won't take long, but because some people really have a hard time engaging
their lower core.
And just a couple sessions with a pelvic floor therapist or a physical therapist
will get you doing them properly.
And, and I've had so many people that tell me like, my, my stomach just always sticks
out.
I'm always bloated.
And it's, it's not most of the time, once they clean up their diet, if they still
look bloated and they still can't like, you know, brace their core and hold their
core tight, they probably just really need to work on those lower core muscles in the
TVA, which isn't going to be activated by doing planks or doing hanging leg raises
or sit ups, like all that traditional core work.
Like.
just is like the outside, which builds like that pretty shape, like of the six or
the eight pack, but it doesn't do anything to like hold that core really tight.
And in bikini, like they don't really care if you have a six pack, they're not
looking for that, but the waistline and the silhouette is so important.
And so if you've got a nice round booty and beautiful shoulders, but you can't
hold your core tight, somebody's gonna, you know, definitely out angle you and
move you out of first place.
Yeah, yeah, they definitely don't want to see the turtle shell abs where your abs
are protruding and it's all like thick.
No turtles.
No turtle shells.
No turtle heads either.
so, so Jillian, what would you do if if all of a sudden you started snacking on
something?
How do you handle snacking?
That is another hot like a snack -cident.
You always comment that I make up words.
You have been on a roll of making up words lately.
Snack -cident.
accident.
Yeah, well, I mean, first of all, if something is triggering you, don't keep it
in the house.
Like, you know, if there's just a snack that you just can't, you know, your kids
love it.
They're gonna have to do without their cool ranch Doritos while mama's in prep.
Because no.
I say.
I'm like, food is right.
I always tell my clients, I'm like, do you know that you're sitting, like you're
sitting right now.
You can pick up your phone and you can door dash anything that you imagine and it
will show up at your door.
You're just going a little bit of time without certain things.
It's gonna be okay.
It's not going anywhere.
like, don't tempt yourself.
Like, I'm not saying, like, clean your house of, like, if you can't have stuff in
your house without eating it, there's a bigger problem.
And you probably should work with somebody on your relationship with food, because
when you get to accepting that you're going to do a competition and it's going
to take some discipline around eating, you know, you're going to have to say no to
those things and be OK with it.
So you should be you should be OK with being around those things.
But if there's something in particular that just.
You know, if it's like chocolate chips or like I'm trying to think of things that
you can just so easily grab.
Like that's what moms do, right?
Like we're yeah.
So just either keep them out of sight where they're not in view or just don't
buy them for a little while or like send them out with send the kids out with dad
to go get cookies and they can eat them outside of the house.
Like, yeah.
So, you know, that's one thing that we do.
I mean, we have a lot of stuff in the house, but I'm not about to like be
bringing in all my favorite treats for the kids and.
you know, expecting myself not to like dream about them.
Cause I work from home too.
So like it's right there.
So, but yeah, I think, and I think if you, if you do find yourself, like if you have
a snack stand or if you binge, there's so many resources, you know, there's full
courses for food relationships or for your relationship with food.
You don't have to suffer.
Like you're not the only person as there's a lot of shame surrounding it.
There's so many people that just feel really weak and they don't even want to
talk to their coach about it.
or they're like, yeah, just never do it again.
But you know, if you are having issues with binging and snacking and you really
can't stop yourself, like talk to somebody, talk to your coach.
There's so many resources.
And if you have to just take a break from prep and come back when you're in a better
mind space, like then do it because the stage isn't going anywhere and you'll have
a much better journey without the stress of, you know, issues with food and binging
and, you know, unnecessary snacking.
yeah.
Yeah, I definitely fell into that category not that long ago.
I mean, I feel like it wasn't that long ago where I would snack on something and
I'll be like, I'm just not going to do this again.
Like, don't do this again, Mandy.
And I wouldn't want to tell my coach.
I didn't want to have to deal with the.
And this was, you know, it was a while ago.
I had a different coach.
I didn't want to have to deal with the lashing because I accidentally like
overate something.
And then I'd be like, no, maybe don't do that again.
And I wasn't even prepping for a show.
This was during an off season.
And I just it mentally.
me down because I felt so defeated.
I felt like I was constantly trying to achieve something that was being so
difficult and I couldn't figure out mentally like why was this such a problem
when I've never had this problem before of like randomly snacking.
And it wasn't even my kids food but it was like it was a snacking problem and I was
just like why am I doing this?
Like I'm not even that hungry but I'm like I'm just grabbing stuff like little things
that are in the pantry.
But just like you said I took a step back.
I
talked to somebody about it.
I like had my hormones checked.
I tried to figure out exactly what was going on and I took those steps so I could
be in a better relationship with food, with myself, with like mental awareness of
like why was I doing that?
What was going on?
Like how did I feel?
Because that's something also with snacking is like if you're getting ready
for a show and you have a slip up and you just because you're out to dinner and you
packed your food and you ate
your food but something at the table smells really good and you have like a
couple bites of french fries, okay, is that like you tell your coach it's an
accident, it was there, and then you just don't do it again.
That happens, it happens.
There's the difference between that happening and then you are snacking every
week or you feel really defeated or you don't feel good mentally.
and taking a step back and figuring out why for sure, like what is going on that's
causing you to do this every week that you're not succeeding in your original
goal.
So.
your journey when you were trying to remedy that?
What did you find was going on with you that was causing it?
And then what did you do to help it?
So.
What was causing it was I was done competing and I preach about this a lot.
I was done with my shows.
I was in an off season, but I was still following a plan of my off season and I
was struggling with following that plan because when I worked with my coach at the
time, I was following the plan, but my feedback wasn't matching what was supposed
to be happening.
I had very conflicting issues with it and I thought I was doing it right, but I was
doing it wrong, I guess, for the feedback I got.
So I mentally was like, I was worn out.
I was already like, I already prepped for several months, did shows.
I was done prepping for like the year.
And I just, my off season was not a good experience with that current coach at the
time.
And I struggled immensely with that.
I got to a point where I didn't even want to check in and I didn't know what I was
doing wrong or how to do it right.
So that was going on.
And also,
trying to like balance an offseason like okay, I want to go out to dinner.
I want to have time with my husband or my family and Be able to enjoy myself but
also be structured and make sure I'm getting the progress So learning how to
juggle that but like I wasn't in a good relationship with my coach at the time So
that really hurt me a lot and what ended up happening is I got injured
I got injured at the gym, I herniated my disc.
So that just threw everything out because I couldn't even work out for a while.
I couldn't work out till we figured out what was wrong and then I could work out
upper body, but I couldn't do cardio or anything.
I couldn't lift any lower body for months.
So I stopped, obviously my contract froze and we didn't work together anymore.
So it kind of just became a different journey of now it was just about how to
heal my back and.
You know, I still prepped and ate like the proper amount of protein and vegetables
and carbs, but I definitely was enjoying myself more with food.
I was trying to heal my injury and kind of go about that.
The break I took from that coach and that time, it just helps me tremendously.
Like that's really what it was.
So yeah, just figuring that out.
Mm -hmm.
hard to talk about, like, because I mean, I think what you're saying is that you
just didn't align with the methods, you know, and that's what's so hard.
And this is a topic that we are going to talk about as well as making a coaching
switch, because it's so hard when you like the person, but you just it's not a good
fit anymore.
And it's so hard.
-hmm.
to do that because you could really just, you know, you want to be a part of that
team or you want to be with that coach.
But if you just don't feel like you're on the same page, then it just feels like
you're kind of just like running up against a brick wall.
And I think that was very similar for me in in my prep in twenty twenty three.
And I think I was.
Yeah, I was definitely self sabotaging quite a bit because I just wasn't getting
encouraging feedback and I just didn't feel like a priority.
And.
You know, almost like I felt like I was giving up on myself because they were kind
of giving up on me, too.
And I also but but then I think, OK, well, let me look at this from an outsider
perspective.
Like, am I being dramatic?
You know, so I did definitely wanted to consider like all all aspects before I
made like a switch.
But I think just at the end of the day, like, you know, things have changed and it
was just time for a switch.
But I think ultimately conflict or misunderstandings can cause, you know,
turmoil and stress and how do we act out some people, you know, find themselves
snacking or whatever it might be, you know, so.
So that's interesting.
But I think the take home is just that it's normal.
And if you keep it a secret, you can't fix it.
And that's so women to be like, I'll just fix it like it won't happen again.
It's if it happened once, it's waiting on your doorstep to happen again.
And it's just better to talk about it.
with somebody and find some strategies so that you can, you know, prevent it.
Because I think binge eating can just really cause a lot of shame.
And, you know, it really makes people feel like almost like they're a fraud, you
know, like, I'm this fitness person and I did this competition and everybody is
like, my God, you did so great.
But like, I can't control my snacking.
I can't control this.
And it's it's normal after shows to sort of feel that way and to lose control a
little bit.
But if it carries on.
There's there are so many resources like ask us, you know, reach out like there's
so many ways that you that you don't have to suffer years ago.
Like I remember going through it in my 20s and just being like, you know, guys at the
gym were like, I don't know, like pochle blues.
Like, what are you even talking about?
You know, but you just didn't have the resources we do now.
And then I went, I remember going to like a counselor, like an eating disorder
specialist.
I'm like, I don't really belong here.
Like I'm like, I don't.
I'm not like bulimic and like, I don't think she understands bodybuilding.
She's like, could we just possibly not exercise?
I'm like, the fuck out of here?
Like, that's not what I need.
What are you talking about?
Like, she couldn't help me, like, because it was not related.
Like, I'm like, no, I want to still do this sport.
Like this therapist was basically like the bodybuilding is probably the worst thing
for you.
And I'm like, I don't think so.
So anyways.
But.
I don't think, I don't think, I totally understand the fear of co -chopping.
I get it, but I feel like, I don't know.
Co -switching, co -chopping, whatever you want.
yeah, -huh, yeah.
Is that the avenue we're going down next?
Coach, we just, we talked about like a few different things.
We could go down a few.
down that one.
Yeah, well, yeah, just to touch on it a little bit more.
But yeah, I don't think there's anything wrong with coaching.
I don't think there's anything wrong with talking to your current coach about if you
are not aligning or if you aren't, if you're butting heads, if you do feel, I
feel like what happens is as athletes, we're with a coach and we start really,
like we believe in that coach, the coach believe in us, we build this great
relationship, this great bond.
If you're getting to a point where something doesn't feel right in your gut
and like you should talk to that coach first.
Like you should be,
like, Hey, something's like up, something's not right.
Like I'm doing like whatever.
And then if it's still not working, it's still not aligning, you know, like see
what you can do and be like, Hey, like this isn't working.
And like, you can switch coaches.
It will be okay.
You can talk to that current coach and be like, Hey, I love the team.
I love the team dynamic.
Can I switch to a different coach on the team?
You know, like there's so many ways, like it's just, it's like you said, like as
women, we're like, we'll figure it out.
We'll fix it.
We'll figure it out.
We'll fix it.
It's like talk, communicate.
it's okay.
It's always gonna be okay if you talk and communicate.
Yeah, I mean, I think you do tend to get a little sensitive in prep, you know, so I
think that it's important to like consider that, like, you know, are you just getting
carried away with your emotions?
Like you can't take a dry message from your coach and go like, they hate me, you
know, like these are business owners that are just doing their job and they are
really not, they are not connecting any emotion to their feedback.
but because we're talking about your body, then it can be a little, you could be a
little bit sensitive.
Like, you know, I've, I've had clients like, are you mad at me?
I'm like, no.
I just wasn't sure because like I wrote you like a couple of days ago and you just
gave me like a thumbs up.
I'm like, I was probably busy.
Like if I knew it was important, like I would have absolutely, you know, so I
think being a good communicator, but also just really, are you being sensitive?
You know,
and then also, I think if you have certain expectations, make sure you talk about
those on the front end, like don't make those expectations known, like at the
midway point end of the process, because you might not get those expectations
fulfilled.
So I think that interviewing coaches is important and like, don't just sit on an
interview with a coach and let them just blabla.
Like don't let them do all the talking.
Ask a lot of questions.
I'm always blown away when people don't ask me or they don't have an idea of what
they're looking for.
It's like really like like when you're making a decision to work with a coach
like it's not a one month investment like you're probably going to be with this
person for like a year.
So you better make sure that you know, you've asked all the questions and like
I've said this before in other episodes like you know, you might not be able to
get a clear answer on their methodologies because they're going to do what works
best for you.
But you know, asking things like you know, what how do you view the offseason and you
know,
what when you're trying to help me out of a plateau, what are some things that I
could expect?
You know, things like that.
Communications timeline of like, if I have a bunch of questions, like how do I ask
those things?
You know, and they might say, well, we can do a monthly phone call or every week when
you send your check in, include all your questions and just like get all that stuff
out in the very beginning.
Because I think that when I made a coaching switch, I don't think that I.
was clear about the things I was not happy about and that wasn't fair.
I probably should have spoken up, but I just don't like conflict.
And I really believe everybody's, you know, at the end of the day, a good
person.
I just was like, I just think our time here is, it's just time for us to part
ways.
So, yeah.
see that though because I feel like I feel like my conflicts with my previous coach
like I feel like during prep was fine.
Like my prep was was great.
I prepped great for the shows like I did like it it met my expectations.
Communication was great.
Everything was good.
It wasn't until we hit the offseason to where it just got very just not great.
It wasn't like it just wasn't great.
Expectations wasn't great.
Communication wasn't great.
It was just not, it was not what I thought it was gonna be.
But that's like you said, you kind of get, you need to confront all that stuff head
on.
And I will say when like I started my prep, the last thing I was, I did not
communicate like, how do I anticipate an off season?
It was like, okay, well, how are we gonna go through several, several months of
prep?
You know, so it was a lesson learned though.
But that's like my coach now knows like everything about me.
My coach knows what I wanna do in five years.
That's awesome.
she does.
But I also, I do love how coaches, like you said, take the emotion out of it.
It is about our bodies and we are gonna freak out.
We are gonna send some messages and be sad or upset or disappointed or lost or just
upset, right?
Your coach is going to remove that emotion and get you to your goal.
And rather it's a thumbs up or a little heart emoji, whatever it is.
can't think of any time a coach would ever be mad, right?
It's just like, nope, this is what we're gonna do.
You're fine and move on.
So, yeah.
that that's, that's a tough place to be to like, you know, as coaches ourselves and
then as competitors who have coaches, you know, we, we see different, we see the,
our relationship with our clients and we see our relationship with our coaches.
and you know, I think everybody is different, right?
Like, I don't doubt that there's girls that have a million questions and message
my coach all the time, even though I would never do that.
You know, like.
I just kind of keep it short and sweet.
And if I have something going on, sometimes I just sit on it.
Like if something's bothering me, sometimes I just wait a little bit.
And then by the next day I'm like, okay, I'm totally fine.
That was like just a blip, you know?
But, you know, I think sometimes, you know, we're asked to like solve all these
big dilemmas.
And it's like, well, you know, I have a job which is encourage you, guide you, lay
the blueprint.
for your journey, you know, but I can't fix everything else.
I've got you.
I've always got your back, you know?
And so, but that can be hard when you're in prep and you are really emotional and
maybe no one around you really understands what you're experiencing, but your coach
does, right?
Because they've coached lots of people before and they're competitors too.
So I think it's just that fine line of sort of like, okay, like when am I like
dumping everything on my coach?
And then when am I like...
you know, just appropriately sort of like asking for their support, you know, but
then by the same token, I don't think it's healthy to keep stuff in because I've
definitely had where, well, I didn't want to tell you that I spent last weekend in
the ER.
I'm like, what?
Why didn't that?
I need to know like that.
I didn't want to bother you.
Like, no, I need to know that.
I have a solution for, so what I do, I have a notepad in my, cause my iPhone, I
have under notes.
I have a.
like I start making notes for my check -in, like after my last check -in because
of that, because of the highs and lows of being emotional, like getting closer to
show, like is it important to ask right now?
Is it important to send later?
So I keep in my notepad everything I'm going to send in my check -in for my next
check -in.
And then as the week goes on, like I edit that note or I add stuff.
And then obviously if it is something of like importance where it's going to really
affect something,
I'll send a message that day and be like, hey, this is what's happening in that way.
But other than that, I keep all of that saved.
And then on my next check -in, I copy paste it.
a lot of stuff that goes on and I just, you know, a lot of things happening and I
kind of just like once a week to sort of be like, okay, today's the day that I send
my posing videos, I send my check -in photos, I get my check -in back, I speak
to my coach and then I go away and do the work for a week.
I kind of like it that way.
I wouldn't want to do the back and forth every day of updates and check -ins.
Of course, during peak week, that's going to be more common, but you know, I think
just, you know, it's just kind of just...
let things, the body just do its job.
You can't rush the process.
And so, yeah, I kind of do the same thing and just keep little notes.
And then sometimes by the time check -in day comes in, like, I don't need to ask
that anymore.
I figured that out, you know.
I've had that before, yeah.
Yeah, peak week's different though, they talk like every day during peak week.
Speaking of peak week, one other question that we get a lot is what happens if you
get your period during peak week or on show day?
So I don't know if you would like to start that topic.
happen too often though.
So I know this has been a topic for you before, cause I know we've talked about it
before, but I don't see this too often, but I will say it when I have seen it,
it's not as big a deal as we think it is.
It's more blown up in our head than like the actual event of having our cycle on
peak week or show day because our calories are already so low.
We're already like recovering from, we're trying to reduce inflammation and that's
just a slight inflammation and it's only in our.
and like it's we freak out which the freaking out makes it bad because then it
hurts our digestion and our sleep which then will hurt how our peak week goes but
in reality it's not that big a deal it's really not that's kind of
I mean, I think it's just, I mean, the thought of it for some people is like,
that's just gross.
I don't want to have to deal with that, but there's not a lot we can do and that's
the human body.
So, I mean, Midol Plus is a wonderful thing.
I take it even when I don't have my period, it's like wonderful for peak week.
And it just, it helps, you know, with inflammation and bloating and all of that.
But I also think too, like,
for me personally, my periods, if they're still present in prep, and they have been
as I've gotten older, which is so weird.
Like when I was younger, maybe just because my hormones were different then,
like I would always lose my cycle.
Like I'd be like, I'm shredded, no period, you know?
But like as I've gotten older and I'm more shredded now than I was back then, I still
have it.
I'm like, this seems completely unfair.
But they're much lighter, they're shorter.
They're a little bit infrequent, unpredictable, but they're not as
bothersome.
So the might all does the trick and then I just don't, I try not to think about it.
And other than if you have PMS, that's not great to be experiencing the raging bitch
syndrome going into peak week, but it'll be okay.
You're not gonna be the very first person in the entire world that's had their
period on show day.
I think Jen Dory had it at the Olympia and it's just.
you can kind of take it as a good sign too, because it means your hormones are
regulating properly.
I mean, if you think about it, so you can be like, well, like even, it is even
during peak week, so it's like a good thing to have.
Mm -hmm.
around your period.
You can't.
Like you just gotta roll with it, girl.
Just it is what it is.
I know, I don't know if you have this question often, I see it often and I'm
actually surprised it circulates as often as it does.
Being on birth control and being, and prepping, like.
I know a lot of women that are on a lot of different type of medication for different
things.
You can still prep.
You will be fine.
I'm actually very surprised that that gets asked as often as it does, but...
I know people, I've met people that have, you know, that have had kidney issues,
liver issues, they have heart issues, and they're on all different types of
medication that affects their hormones.
And they, you can still prep, and you can still, and you'll still go through peak
week, and you can still be shredded.
You can still go through all of that, even if you're on birth control.
Yeah, I think it's just person to person.
Everyone's a little bit different and obviously their type of birth control is
gonna be different.
I just think, I don't wanna get too much into this topic, but I'm not an advocate
for birth control just because it's, there's a lot about that I don't wanna get
into, but I just think that it's a hormone and long -term, you don't,
You don't know the impact of having that in your body.
And like now we're really, this is like the second life cycle of women that have
been on birth control because it came out in the sixties.
And so we're, we're just seeing a lot of different cancers and things.
So not that we can blame it on birth control.
It is still being studied, but you know, I think that there, there's a lot of ways
and I'm talking about oral contraceptives.
I'm talking about taking like the pill.
You know, there's, there's other things.
to as well.
I mean, an IUD is, they still have a hormonal one, but that's gonna be a little
bit better for competitors because it's not the monthly pill.
Because I went on the pill when I was in college and I gained 15 pounds
immediately.
I was like, my body does not like this at all.
And so I stopped and never took it again.
But some people respond really well to it and they don't have any issues.
Some people have the next plenum in their arm or whatever it might be.
But I just think, you know, obviously don't throw caution in the wind and not
have any birth control methods, but I think, you know, oral birth control is
just, you know, not, not, you can take it and prep and get lean, but I think it does
pose a bit of a challenge for some people.
I have seen some people sort of struggle to get that like last little bit of
conditioning just because of the hormones.
Yeah, my first prep ahead.
I was on, yeah, I had an IUD, had it taken out, and then I was on regular the birth
control pill, and I just thought I had adult acne.
Like, I had acne so bad.
I prepped, my prep was fine.
I lost my cycle, like, immediately.
I just, you chalk it up to diet, exercise, birth control.
But it took a minute for it to come back, and my acne, I had like cheekbone to
cheekbone acne.
Like, it like literally, from like my cheekbone down through my chin to my.
other cheekbone and I just was like, it's adult acne and it is what it is.
But like after I was done for the show, after I was done prepping and I took time
off and I was still on birth control, I was like, this is painful.
Like I had painful acne and I think it was somebody that was like, it's my, it's your
hormones.
And this was back in like 2000, I don't know, 17.
And someone was like, it's your hormones.
I'm like, I never thought of that.
And then I ended up stopping birth control and the inflammation went away, but I had
bad scarring I had to get that dealt with.
But yeah, it was birth control acne.
It was not adult acne.
It was painful too.
So yeah, I'm kind of in the same boat with you.
I don't really recommend it, but you gotta do what you gotta do.
Everybody's different.
So.
Mm -hmm.
topic and I don't want to dive into it because I'm not an expert and I don't want
to, you know, give advice that's bad advice either.
But you know, I just, you know, yeah, yeah.
Well, and I have daughters and so I think if my daughters are, you know, get older,
like what is the decision that I would encourage them to make?
And I would not.
encourage them to take birth control.
So that's just, cause that's how I feel about it.
And it's personal and you know, people will tell me I'm wrong and that's totally
fine, but that's just the, that's how I feel about it.
But yeah, I think in general, and it'd be great to have a hormone specialist come
on, cause it is a hot topic.
Somebody asked me the other day about blood work and you know, who we recommend,
cause that's, you know, becoming more common.
people have more questions about all that stuff.
So if anyone has any recommendations for a hormone specialist that we could bring on,
that would be, especially if they're fitness minded, because that would be
helpful.
If there's anybody you guys think of, yeah, just shoot us a message, DM us on
Instagram, let us know.
Of course, yeah, or they can give it detailed too.
Well, we kind of covered a lot of different topics and talked about a few.
my gosh, stop.
Well, you did it for 58 minutes.
my God, it's been so bad this week.
And also we have a team show this weekend.
So like, you know, just it's life is just busy.
You know, that should have been my hack for hunger in the beginning of the episode
is just stay so busy.
You forget to eat, you know, but for real, like I'm so busy that I don't really think
about food.
I'm busy in the evenings too, which is like kind of like.
snack attack time for a lot of people and I'm usually like in the car like in a
parking lot waiting for a kid to come out of practice.
So
what happened to me this weekend.
That's why I got such bad sleep Sunday night.
And it was like, I had such a great weekend, but it was, it was running around
so much and being so busy.
I didn't eat like my last meals until super late and it just messed with so much
stuff.
So like, yeah, stay busy.
And then life goes by really fast.
does.
You forget, forget and all of a sudden poof you're three and a half weeks out.
my God.
I'm so excited.
I wish I was going to be at your show with you though.
I want to.
could watch your live stream.
You might be able to because it's not till three o 'clock.
that's right.
I'll have to look into that.
I didn't think of that.
-huh.
like prejudging that rolls right into finals starting at 3 p So I'm really
excited about that actually, because I can like get up and then if I need to train a
little bit, sometimes I need weights on show day just to get a good pump and like
move some of the carbs through.
But I've never done a peak week with James before, so I'm not sure what his
recommendations will be yet.
But it's just nice to have that time because there's nothing worse than being
like.
It's show day and you have like a 2 a makeup time and like 4 a spray tan and
then you and you just sit there.
Yeah, it's just and I also like I don't have any trouble getting up early in the
morning, but if I know I have to get up early, I like keep looking at my alarm and
I like I don't sleep great.
So so I'm really excited about that format.
I think that's pretty bomb.
I'm excited about that.
So.
Yeah.
guys, well thank you so much for listening and I really, we both I'm sure, hope that
you guys took some information away from this and we hope this helps you through
your prep or even as a lifestyle client, this helps you just on a lot of different
things.
Whether it's finding a coach or shrinking your waist or just feeling better about
having issues with stacking.
It's completely normal, it happens and how to kind of combat them.
But if you guys need any help or have any questions, Jillian and I are always
available.
We have our Instagrams, Facebook,
After Babies podcast has its own Instagram, YouTube comments, all sorts of
ways to reach us.
Yeah, thanks so much for listening in and of course if you have anything you'd like
to ask us just leave us a message, leave us a comment and don't forget to like and
subscribe and we will see you on the next episode.
Bye guys!