Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
In this episode, we are diving deep into the post show phase and talking about the experiences we have had and how we have conquered "reverse diets gone wrong" and post show rebound. Today we are opening up about our personal struggles with post show eating, body image and how we overcame those challenges. We talk about the different resources that are available to athletes who are struggling with relationships with food as well as the science behind post-show eating and the importance of understanding the body's hormonal changes during the reverse dieting process.
If you are ever struggling with your reverse diet, whether you are 1 week post show or more, we have been through it! Please dont hesitate to reach out to us at our contact info below! We are here for you and happy to provide you with all the resources possible to help you on your journey.
Mentioned in this episode:
Celeste Rains-Turk Free 7 Day Food Relationship Coaching Series → https://celestial.fit/
About Momshell Method Fitness:
If you are ever struggling with your reverse diet, whether you are 1 week post show or more, we have been through it! Please dont hesitate to reach out to us at our contact info below! We are here for you and happy to provide you with all the resources possible to help you on your journey.
Mentioned in this episode:
Celeste Rains-Turk Free 7 Day Food Relationship Coaching Series → https://celestial.fit/
About Momshell Method Fitness:
Ready to embark on your fitness journey? We would love to help you reach any fitness goal from losing the baby weight to crushing your competition goals!
Follow this link to schedule a discovery call with one of our team members and learn how Momshell Method Fitness can provide you with the tools you need to be successful with customized nutrition and training plans for busy moms → http://bit.ly/loseweightgetsexy
Contact your hosts:
Mandy Rochon
Facebook: Mandy Rochon
Gillian Hughes, IFBB Bikini Pro
Facebook: Gillian Hughes
Mandy’s Posing Sessions
1:1 In Person (KC Posing Studio) → https://bit.ly/inpersonposingwithmandy
1:1 Virtual Posing → https://bit.ly/virtualposingwithmandy
Posing with Gillian Hughes, IFBB Bikini Pro
1:1 In Person (St Louis Posing Studio) → https://bit.ly/stlposingwithgillianifbbpro
1:1 Virtual Posing → https://bit.ly/virtualposingwithgillianifbbpro
Nuethyx Formulations Supplements →
(Use code “Momshell” to save 10% off your order)
Toxic Angelz Bikinis → https://toxicangelzbikinis.com
(Use code “GILLIAN” or code “MANDY” to save 15% off your order)
MISAJO Sports —> https://shopsiham.com/collections/workout
(Use code “GILLIAN10” to save 10% off your order)
Squeeze Me Skinny Waist Trainers → https://www.squeezmeskinny.com
(Use code “MOMSHELL” to save 10% off your order)
The Shoe Fairy competition heels → https://www.shoefairyofficial.com
(Use code “momshell” to save 15% off your order)
Labwork and Personalized Recommendations: Practitioner Depot: https://bit.ly/practitionerdepotxmomshell (Use code “momshell” to save 5% off your order)
Our Amazon storefront- fitness outfits, more supplements, beauty items and competition needs → https://amzn.to/46GL1nd
Creators and Guests
Host
What is Bikinis After Babies?
Bikinis After Babies is the one and only podcast where real moms talk about their bodybuilding contest experiences. We are sharing the inside scoop, the nitty-gritty, the hardships and the victories as we navigate the rigors of competition prep while juggling family and careers. We’ll be joined by IFBB bikini pros who share their incredible stories of managing many responsibilities as athletes while defying stereotypes as women who compete in bikinis after babies!
Whether you’re a new mom thinking about stepping on stage for the first time, or a mom looking for inspo and insight on how to manage contest prep as a busy mom, this podcast offers helpful tips and inspiring stories for moms with big goals!! Make sure to rate, subscribe, and leave us a review to let us know how much this podcast has helped you 💕
About Momshell Method Fitness:
Ready to embark on your fitness journey? We would love to help you reach any fitness goal from losing the baby weight to crushing your competition goals!
Follow this link to schedule a discovery call with one of our team members and learn how Momshell Method Fitness can provide you with the tools you need to be successful with customized nutrition and training plans for busy moms → http://bit.ly/loseweightgetsexy
Mandys Posing Sessions
1:1 In Person (KC Posing Studio) → https://bit.ly/inpersonposingwithmandy
1:1 Virtual Posing → https://bit.ly/virtualposingwithmandy
Posing with Gillian Hughes, IFBB Bikini Pro
1:1 In Person (St Louis Posing Studio) → https://bit.ly/stlposingwithgillianifbbpro
1:1 Virtual Posing → https://bit.ly/virtualposingwithgillianifbbpro
Contact your hosts:
Mandy Rochon
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mandyrochonfitness/
Facebook: Mandy Rochon
Gillian Hughes, IFBB Bikini Pro
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gillianhughes_momshell/
Facebook: Gillian Hughes
Momshell Method Fitness Supplements → https://www.momshell-method-fitness.myshopify.com
(Use code “BAB” to save 15% off your order)
Toxic Angelz Bikinis → https://toxicangelzbikinis.com
(Use code “GILLIAN” or code “MANDY” to save 15% off your order)
Squeeze Me Skinny Waist Trainers → https://www.squeezmeskinny.com
(Use code “MOMSHELL” to save 10% off your order)
The Shoe Fairy competition heels → https://www.shoefairyofficial.com
(Use code “momshell” to save 15% off your order)
Labwork and Personalized Recommendations: Practitioner Depot: https://bit.ly/practitionerdepotxmomshell (Use code “momshell” to save 5% off your order)
Our Amazon storefront- fitness outfits, more supplements, beauty items and competition needs → https://amzn.to/3zySJ4C
Mandy (00:00)
Hello everyone and welcome to another fantastic episode of Bikinis After Babies. I am one of your hosts Mandy Rashaun here from Kansas City where it is rainy and gloomy and cozy with, I know, right? I felt like coming into it with the weather just because it has been really hot here in Kansas City and I'm not complaining the.
Gillian (00:13)
the weather.
You're going to do traffic next to tell us what's happening on the roads today.
Mandy (00:26)
work is terrible, you know, from the bedroom to my office. I actually commute to the gym though. So like I do that Monday through Friday and I have to deal with that. But thank you for joining us everybody. We have a really good, yeah, we have a great episode. Of course I'm Mandi Rashawn here with the beautiful blonde Gillian
Gillian (00:30)
Yeah, it's terrible. That's so funny. Yeah.
Yeah.
Hi, everyone.
Hello everybody, if you're watching from home.
Maybe you can be the judge of that, but thank you for listening in and we are so happy to be back. We hope that you loved our prior episode with Angelica. I can't lie. I am still just like on cloud nine from having, my God. Like I listened to it like, and I don't listen to every episode of hours back. Like some of them I do. but that one I listened to like twice afterwards and it was just the things that she.
Mandy (00:55)
out.
Beaming? Yeah.
Gillian (01:22)
shared like about her journey and everything it was like and the timing of it because we interviewed her like three days before we competed. Mm -hmm. Yeah, so it was just majestical. It really was and I have really not come down from cloud nine really since then. So yeah.
Mandy (01:29)
It was our peak week, yeah.
Mm -hmm.
I feel like everything just went really, really fast after it because on the editing side of it.
I was like a nervous wreck and I don't even I don't think I even told you about that but it's just being on the studio side of it and having to edit and having to like re -listen to everything over and over making sure everything gets brought over to all the platforms correctly I was just like you would have thought it was like my very first time ever doing it because I was so nervous I was like nothing can happen to this like this is
Gillian (02:06)
Yeah.
I was so nervous when we were recording. Yeah, totally. Yeah. I'm like, we're not going to get this opportunity again. Like she won't like do it over. So like I was afraid that like, you know, something technical would happen, but it didn't. It was, it was awesome. So yeah. So I'm excited. She really is. She's amazing. So yeah. Well, how are you doing, girly? What's new in your world? Other than the weather.
Mandy (02:11)
This is precious. This is gold. So... Never.
Mm -mm. It was. And she's such a beautiful person.
You know the weather. No.
What is new? I just got done expediting a show a natural show out in Iowa Des Moines, Iowa. It was great Very easy commute. It's only about two and a half hours away from Kansas City And it was the last spring show of the season and then we kind of take a break until the August show in st. Charles So it was good though, you know, it was it was like, you know, we get a break in the season It's not over obviously, but like you have the spring like goes nuts, right? I'm competing traveling our athletes are
Gillian (03:07)
Yeah.
Mandy (03:09)
competing and then now it's like a little summer break so it's nice it's been very very relaxing i'll say that so it's peaceful what about you
Gillian (03:13)
Nice.
Yeah, well yeah and your... well, you know, just
Yeah, just navigating the time between shows, which four weeks feels like an eternity and not for the reason that you would think. Like, I'm not like, I'm dying. Like, I want to eat. I'm tired. It's just a long time to kind of wait, especially when your feedback is just small baby things. And, you know, like normally I'm like, I need every minute of that time to like get more shredded. And of course, you can always come in a little bit more conditioned.
Mandy (03:26)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Yeah.
Gillian (03:54)
you know that I never get the comment that I'm too conditioned. It was just that your conditioning is just right, which I'm like, okay. Like it's great, but like you know just the counting down the days and it feels like time is going so slow. As busy as we are, it's still just like, God is it only Wednesday? Like it really just feels like time's going slow. So it's good, you know? I'm just trying to just stay in the right mind frame and and yeah.
Mandy (04:02)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (04:22)
tick the boxes before I leave. thank you.
Mandy (04:24)
I do have to commend you. I do have to commend you because as, as -
for as in my world, everything's slowing down a little bit and then I'm done competing for this season. So I'm transitioning into my off season that you are doing like the opposite right now, almost in every way. I'm still driving my kid around, but it's up the street and back. It's so small and it's so short lived. Whereas you're driving all your kids around everywhere all the time, nonstop in the thick of it, having, you know, like you're like the polar opposite of me.
right now so I just have to commend you because every time we talk on you know all our different platforms you have your shit together.
Gillian (05:05)
day everywhere. Yeah, it's just, you know, I think it's not new. So it isn't like, like overly challenging. And I really got myself in a really good place, like going into like summer. I think it would be different if I didn't feel like I was ready or, you know, I was nervous. Like I've been in prior, perhaps I've been a hot frickin mess and I'm no fun to be around, but this year has been totally different. And of course, I'm used to, you know, navigating summers with
Mandy (05:18)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (05:35)
five kids, but my son did get a car yesterday, so I'll have one. And he's busy because he's a varsity wrestler and he wrestles for like a club team as well. So he's, I'm running him all over the place all the time, so one one less drive around. But it's not new, like I actually just had to put my computer on Do Not Disturb because I've got like, can Chloe come for a playdate? Can Ellie come and do this? Brooklyn is here and I'm like, I can't right now I'm working! Like I have to, people like, I don't think people forget that I work, but like you know.
Mandy (05:38)
Yeah.
Right?
Gillian (06:05)
It's I'm kind of working all the time like I was posing the other night at like 830 which isn't ideal I was so tired, but I was just like, you know what girl you got to do it You got to do it no matter when it is. It's important and so I was proud of myself for doing that because it was all it was like the last thing I wanted to do is like after all your meals and it's late and you're stiff and tired you want to go to bed and it's like I'm gonna go work on posing in my basement So it's it's fine. I'm just keeping busy is my secret to staying on track because I don't have time
Mandy (06:10)
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.
All right.
Gillian (06:35)
to think about food. I just don't. And I can't, like, I can't procrastinate workouts. I can't, because there's no time to make it up. If I don't do it when I'm supposed to do it, it doesn't happen. So I just gotta get it done. Can't think about it. So, so yeah, that's it.
Mandy (06:36)
Nope, you just gotta grab and eat your food that you already have ready and go.
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (06:51)
Yeah, so well, and sort of in the spirit of where you're at in your journey, today we are going to talk about slaying your off season. And maybe you'd like to share some updates of like what you're doing post show and what your thoughts and plans are. Because I've had a little time for the dust to settle after your show. As for now, what are we like two weeks since we both competed? It's two weeks, just under two weeks. And I've been just enjoying.
Mandy (06:52)
Yeah.
Mmm.
Thank you.
Mm -hmm.
Yeah, it's two weeks now. Mm -hmm. Yeah, it's only been one weekend. Yeah.
Gillian (07:21)
all the food porn that you've been sending me and that I've seen on your Facebook too, you know, just like dates and stuff. So why don't you share how that's been going.
Mandy (07:28)
Yeah. it's been good. So...
After I competed in Omaha, like I knew I was gonna go into an off season. I knew because, you know, like I've shared previously, my back flared up for those new listeners. I had a herniated disc back in 2022. Was able to heal it with a lot of other, you know, chiropractor, massage, all sorts of stuff, exercise, mobility exercise. And now it healed and it allowed me to push myself, train really hard, have a really great, you know, prep, a really long prep. I started my prep in September.
and you know I used all of 2023 to basically just lift heavy and eat food and travel and spend time with family so going into about like four or five weeks going into Omaha I knew I was like okay my body's worn out I'm noticing things it's harder for me to like lose weight
Gillian (08:05)
Yeah.
Mandy (08:28)
I was very stagnant, very sore, I was in a lot of pain, so I knew I was gonna go into an off season, so I communicated that with my coach off the bat. So I wanted to let her know that this is what was gonna happen, and she was 100 % on board. Like there was no argument. So going into that, you know, post show, going into reverse, it's been fantastic. I have...
navigated it better than I ever have. I feel like after every single show, I get better at it. I feel like it's never, it will never be perfect. But knowing that we were going to talk about reverse dieting today, I kind of went down like a little, not rabbit hole, but like, what was my first show like post show? my gosh. Okay, so I'll put, I'll put a pin in that.
Gillian (09:01)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, and I want to get into that today too, because yeah, I think, I think that's we've got us to put up, let's put a pin in it and we're going to come back to that. Yeah. Circle on back. If we can frickin remember, because I can, you'll remember you have to be the brain now. You have to be the brain. Remember we talked about that. Like if we're both prepping at the same time, like how, you know, disastrous that could be. But now you have brain power. So, okay, you could be my brain.
Mandy (09:25)
We'll put a pin in that one. We'll circle back. Like a business meeting. We can do it. I will.
Look
Yes, I have a little, I have, I have my, my brain has the extra calories and the extra energy to hold the load for us, okay? So, I'm here for you, I got you. So, but no, knowing that I was gonna go into it, I kind of already had a plan. I already, I knew what a reverse diet was kind of supposed to look like and how it was supposed to kind of happen, especially as a coach doing it before.
Gillian (09:49)
Thank you. Take one for the team. Okay. Thank you. I need you. Thank you. I know. I know.
Mandy (10:09)
So, you know, after show, I have specific rules and I really, I'd like to speak heavily about this, especially for new competitors, season competitors. When you are walking on stage and you just worked so hard, rather it be 16 weeks, two years, 18 weeks, 24 weeks, whatever it may be, weight loss challenge that you, you know, transformation, stockpiling treats in your room or, or bringing stuff with you.
Gillian (10:37)
Yeah.
Mandy (10:40)
is a recipe for disaster no matter what excuse you tell yourself. So knowing that this was my last show of this season, I knew that after that I needed to have, you know, a lot of water, a lot of electrolytes. I grabbed a few like treats that some girls were handing out. I put them in my bag. I knew I wasn't gonna eat them, but I was gonna be respectful and, you know, say, thank you. Like, I really appreciate it. Never do I have treats in my room. And then,
Going into like my first week into off season, I started, I communicate with my coach, my dinner plans that my husband had for me. But even then, I stayed true to myself. I didn't go out and splurge. I didn't go out and eat things that aren't agreeable with me. I'm not gonna go out and eat nachos and pizza and like a whole bunch of cookies and cakes and cupcakes. And you know, I'm not gonna eat food from a gas station. I'm not gonna eat things just because I can. It's...
It's bad for you and it's not part of who I am. So, you know, I...
Gillian (11:43)
But did you always know that because I feel like you can only say that because you've had an experience where it didn't go well and
Mandy (11:46)
No.
Yes.
Gillian (11:54)
On a podcast I listened to earlier this week, they said like pretty much every competitor will screw up their first reverse because you just don't know what to expect. You don't expect to struggle. You really have never had the experience of doing something so intense and strict before. And, you know, there's a lot of emotions and everything. So, so yeah, I think it's like that. This is a great like a tip sheet, but I think that, you know, it does come from having f'd up.
in the past, right?
Mandy (12:26)
Yeah, because you can you can contribute to this as well. The word the words reverse dieting never was a thing up until like, I want to say like 17 18 ish like that time frame, like 2017 or 18. Because when you know, before then you walked on stage, you were done and you celebrated and you ate like
Gillian (12:30)
yeah.
I know.
Yeah, I would agree.
Mandy (12:54)
dog shit like -huh cakes cupcakes
Gillian (12:55)
yeah, the promoters would have pizza backstage and all. I mean, they still do have, you know, treats and stuff at shows, but yeah, I mean, it was like, we, we had a big team at the time, guys and girls back then in 2015, 16, and we had a table and it was covered everybody. It was like a potluck of just tons and tons of food. And then somewhere along the line and maybe newer experience, like less experienced competitors can kind of say, you know, like that maybe they've always seen people talk about reverse dieting, but I think it was the backlash of so.
Mandy (13:02)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (13:25)
people rebounding and maybe like thinking more about like the health of this sport? Yes. Yeah.
Mandy (13:29)
people got so sick. I mean, like men and women, we all got so sick. It was terrible. So my first time, my first time I didn't get sick. So my first show 2016, I did two shows. I did them relatively close together. First one was like in August and the next one was like maybe like a month or two later. And I struggled just with that because nobody...
Gillian (13:38)
Yeah.
Mm -hmm.
Mandy (13:57)
explained to you the fact that you deprived yourself of food, of certain foods for, I think I did my first prep was like 30 weeks or something like that. And then after that, it's like, let's celebrate. Nobody mentally prepares you to not celebrate. And in our culture, we're taught to celebrate with food. And so,
Gillian (14:07)
Yeah.
or to give you parameters to what that should look like. Yeah. Mm -hmm.
Mandy (14:23)
Anything, anything. So as soon as I walked off stage, it was just no holds bar. It was like, for one, I was on vacation because I was in California, I was in LA. And so we just, I ate whatever I wanted. And it was a little bit of literally everything. I didn't get sick, but I definitely gained all, like I gained weight back. I didn't have, you know, I didn't feel good.
Gillian (14:29)
Yeah.
Mandy (14:49)
I stepped right back on stage a couple, I think it was like a month or two later. I didn't place at all, like nothing. I was a hot mess. And then after that, I gained everything back. Cause same thing, I had no parameters. I didn't know anything about food. I had no knowledge of like what this was gonna do. I just ate because it tasted good and it sounded good and it's what everybody did, right? Mm -hmm.
Gillian (15:04)
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
And I don't think we were talking as much about like we did call it an off season. We don't now we call it like an improvement season. But back then, yeah, yeah, bulky and like an off season really like implies that you're off. Right. And now I think there's more of like sort of an idea around like being an athlete all the time. And it's because we have so many amazing resources now. We have, you know, podcasts and we have all these things like back when I first started, you know, we didn't I didn't know what to talk to except for like,
Mandy (15:19)
you mean bulking? We called it bulking.
improvement.
Gillian (15:42)
dudes at the gym and all they did was dirty bulk in the winter and then, you know, shred down for a show and you did a show to lose weight. Like, and that was like what we did. So now it's way different. There are so many resources, but people still struggle now. So that's what I want to talk about today too, because I think there's a lot of shame surrounding it. And because, you know, it is, it's like, wow, man, back in the day, there was a lot of reasons why you would struggle. Like how come I'm struggling and I have all these resources and I have a coach that gave me a plan and I have this laid out reverse. How come I'm not false?
it? How come I can't stay motivated now that my show is done? And that is normal. Like that is completely normal. You cannot shame yourself about that because everybody's going to struggle in some way and some people are going to struggle more. And it might be because they got into competing from a weight loss journey. It's been a long journey and now the show's over and it's like, you know, you get like a little post show blues. If you just even take the food out of it, it's like,
Mandy (16:17)
It's so normal.
Gillian (16:41)
you like had a baby and then you're like, the baby is like here now. And like, you know, yeah, you're just kind of like you've you've been so focused on this. And now it's like, OK, well, I think I mean, I go in the gym, but I'm not like I'm not four days out. I'm not five weeks out. Like, you know, even if you have goals, it's still really tough to stay motivated. And you know what? Some people get burnt out. That's all part of it, too. You know, so today I would just really want to like help people understand that it's OK.
Mandy (16:45)
You're lost. You don't know what to do.
Gillian (17:09)
And, you know, if this is your first reverse and you're absolutely just it's not going well and it's sucking, it won't be like this always. And you'll find ways you're going to learn a lot about yourself, you know. But I think that it starts with having a reverse, which we did not have back in the day. Like, I don't think I had a reverse diet from any coach I worked with until like, you know, 2021. Like we just didn't.
Mandy (17:23)
Mm -hmm.
It really was, because I never had one. I feel like even in 2018 when I went back to competing, it was more of a conversation of like, what are you going to do? The conversation was there, but it wasn't so adamant. Now it's like...
Gillian (17:46)
Yeah.
Mandy (17:51)
you talk about it a couple weeks before you even go on stage, a week before you go on stage, you talk about your plan, your mindset, where do you kind of see yourself? You know, especially if you're like, if you're going into peak week or even two weeks out, you're, you know, you're super lean, you're super shredded. So you can kind of gear like, okay, am I, am I competitive enough? Do I need to build more? And then like, you have that conversation. Whereas like back then, you never did that. You, the, like the conversation wouldn't exist.
Gillian (17:54)
Yeah.
Yeah. No, a hundred percent. And like I said too, like...
I think a lot of people do come into this from weight loss. They have some success. And I think, what if I compete? But a lot of people come into this for eating disorders too. And you talk to people all the time, like, I was a dancer. I was a cheerleader. I was a track athlete. I wanted abs. Some of that disordered eating and food relationship stuff, you might have not thought about it in a long time. And now you're 42 years old and you're competing. And all of a sudden, you're binging.
Mandy (18:33)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (18:52)
post show and you're binging and you're freaking out and then, bodybuilding ruined me. No, it's the it's the stuff from the past. And honestly, you can you can get through it and you can compete again because I am recovered from binge eating. And I really thought that I had no no way I would be able to continue to be. And that is probably the secret. Well, it's not a secret, but that's why I've been competing so long, because I did have to take time to repair my relationship with food and.
Mandy (18:52)
Mm -hmm.
yeah.
Gillian (19:21)
you know, get through some stuff that I, you know, went through. I mean, I was hospitalized for anorexia when I was 12. So I'm 43. So that's like 31 years. So like more than half of my life.
I have had, you know, just too much knowledge about food and nutrition and calories at a young age. It turned that into my passion in my career. And now I have a very healthy mindset. I have three daughters and, you know, two sons, and I want to be a good role model and talk to them in ways so that they have a healthy relationship with food. But, you know, a lot of that just reared its ugly head when I first started competing and I would just keep doing shows thinking that that was the answer until I really found those very empty inside and I had to really work on that. So that is why.
Mandy (19:36)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (20:06)
19 years later, I'm still competing because I had to go through some things and I've learned a lot about myself. And now I always say like my struggles help other people. So got a little deep there, but.
Mandy (20:11)
Mm -hmm.
And that's like taking, it's good, like that's the relatability though. And that is also another reason why we love doing this podcast, right? Like I can't relate to it. It is, and I love being a.
Gillian (20:27)
God, it's therapy, isn't it? Like being able to share this.
Mandy (20:31)
Yeah, like sharing our sharing like our experiences, even if it's raw and real, like I never went through anything like that. Mine, my relationship with food was definitely damaged, but mine was more of the sense of emotional eating. Like I was such an emotional eater and I never could understand how I would speak to women or meet people and they'd be like, I'm, you know, I just am so sad or whatever and I don't eat for days. And I'm like, I'm the polar opposite. And like, I always felt like something was wrong with me and I would always, I would always regain my weight, like the way my genetics are and the way like my family.
Gillian (20:44)
yeah.
Mandy (21:01)
genetics and all the women in my family like I can see how I'm predisposed like I can see how I'm supposed to be shaped I can see if I continue down this path like kind of the shape I'm you know gonna obtain and like the way I may be and the health that I may like put on myself like the health issues but I couldn't stop eating like if I was sad if I was happy if I like I was just an emotional eater.
Gillian (21:07)
Yeah.
Yeah.
But I think that is so hard to go through except because you aren't a walking skeleton. It's downplayed as an eating disorder, but it is so hard to go through and it is disordered eating. But I think that there's less sympathy and like less support unless you're like, you know, over a toilet throwing up or yeah, yeah.
Mandy (21:48)
I hate that it's accepted. It's it drives me nuts. Like when I hear people say that because I hear it all the time now like well when I'm just going through this I just like to eat it's like that's not good because what you're doing yeah I just binged yeah but it's like I just I just I just binge ate all these snacks it's like okay like is that funny to you it's not funny it can be scary and dangerous and like granted
Gillian (22:01)
Or when people throw the word binge around, like I'm like, ooh, that's like, that's a big word. Like, that's not a joke. Yeah, I'm like, ooh.
Mandy (22:18)
If you're listening to this podcast and you're like 25 and you're like, it's not a big deal to go out and binge. Okay, well you can say that now maybe, but wait till you're 45 and you're at the doctor's office and they're telling you you have like some type of ailment that now you have to be on medication for and you can't eat the foods that you've been eating because they're gonna cause like inflammation and like diarrhea and all these issues. And now like your whole life is upside down. That's what like nobody talks about. And it's just like, it's not okay. It's scary. It really, really is. And that's.
Gillian (22:41)
I know.
And the emotional toll too of how you feel the shame after a binging episode and, it's never gonna happen again, except you know when you're going through it, like it's just waiting for you. And you can't fix it by doing another show. But I, and we'll.
Mandy (22:58)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (23:03)
put this below in the show notes, there is a wonderful resource, Celeste, who does the Confessions of a Bikini Pro podcast. Thank God for this woman. I mean, she's got so many resources. And what I love about her methods is that she helps people continue to be a part of this sport, which is really tough with disordered eating and body dysmorphia. It's really tough because, of course, you're putting your almost naked body on display and it's a reflection of what you ate and how you trained and what you look like. And that's really hard.
Mandy (23:07)
Yes.
yeah.
Gillian (23:33)
if you have struggled with eating disorders and she does a lot of great work. So she's got a program and all kinds of stuff. And that's so great because I remember going to a therapist for binge eating as a former anorexic. And I'm in my 20s and I'm trying to talk to this woman about what I'm going through. And she's like, you probably need to just step away from the gym. And I'm like, but I feel like I can continue that. She's like, but I don't see how the two, the two cannot.
Mandy (23:41)
And it's a free resource.
Gillian (24:03)
No, I don't think so. And I was like, I... Yeah.
Mandy (24:05)
It's so hard to talk to people that are outside of the industry. Like they can't comprehend it. They can't comprehend anything that has to do with how we live our lifestyle. And even when you try, I remember when I hurt my back and I had a doctor come in and they were just like grilling me for the supplements I was taking. And they're like, well, you're taking all of these. And I'm talking about just supplements, by the way, like just an array of like digestive enzyme, fish oil, like I was.
Gillian (24:11)
Yeah, and it was tough.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Mandy (24:35)
I don't even remember. It was just regular supplements. And they were and I was very lean at the time and they were just like, well, they like treated me like I was an alien. It was so they're like, well, you you won't ever get to like weight like weight lift again. I started crying because I was in so much pain and I was scared. But I was like, get like, get get out, like get out. There's no way. And I actually met my new doctor that way because he came in to settle me down. And I was like, I really like you. And he became my new doctor. But he.
Gillian (24:37)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Mandy (25:04)
he helped me. But I know like and just to let you listeners know the the thing from Celeste that you're gonna put in the show notes I actually did it. I did her one of her free programs back in I want to say it was like 22. I did it. I spoke with her her and I competed together back in I can't god what year it was it will it's gonna be coming soon.
Gillian (25:25)
I know, I know, I love her. It's my dream one day to be on her show. Like my dream. I listen to every episode, yeah. God, I know, we will. She's the best.
Mandy (25:32)
I'm gonna become, it's gonna, we're gonna tag her this podcast when we air it now. But no, I did hers. I did because I was out of the emotional eating stage and I had a control over my eating, but similar to kind of what you said, I felt like this emptiness and I couldn't really put my finger on it. And I knew I didn't wanna solve it by food, cause I knew food wasn't solving it, but I didn't know what to do. And I had just got done competing and I was, you know,
Gillian (25:55)
Hmm.
Mandy (26:02)
building and I was, I think this was right before I hurt my back and I started doing, she sent it to me and I started working on it and I did it. It helped me quite a bit to kind of just see things differently, give me a different like perspective and point of view and it definitely helped me back then when I needed it.
Gillian (26:17)
That's so interesting because I mean, I've spent time with you and gone to dinner with you and socialized with you and hung out with you and all these things. And you've always seemed like, you know, your relationship with food is very healthy. So I think it's interesting to hear that, you know, you struggled too. And like, I think it's our clients, we like them to know like that, you know, we look like we've got it together, but there was a point where we, we struggled and the desert.
Mandy (26:41)
Ooh, I threw up in the desert, man.
I did. I did. I never will forget it. It was, it was 2018 and it was post show and this is also why I will be a big advocate. Okay. No, no. So I will always be a big advocate to not go on vacation post show. Now give, give it like, give it time. Like if you're like a couple of weeks or a week or something like that, like give it some...
Gillian (26:46)
It's a dark statement. man.
Why were you in the desert? Were you hiking or on a photo shoot or what were you doing?
Yes, yes.
Mandy (27:16)
race period, don't go like, or like this Sunday. So yeah, no.
Gillian (27:17)
Yeah, don't leave the Monday after. Yeah. Or like have some guidelines and a plan, you know.
Mandy (27:25)
Yeah, so don't be a newbie like me and go right into a vacation. So no, it was like my third show, but I had taken like so much time off. So like it was, I was like coming back and I had competed in Las Vegas and it was a beautiful, great time. Awesome. I had to drive. We were vacationing in Palm Springs and it was like a four hour drive. Yes, I love Palm Springs. So from Las Vegas to Palm Springs, California, driving through the desert.
Gillian (27:35)
Hmm.
Yeah.
Mandy (27:54)
I had just been eating like shit. I just ate whatever I had no guidelines no rules My stomach could not process like the food the food I ate I don't remember what I ate It was just a bunch of stuff a bunch of shit, but my food could not process it. I couldn't go to the bathroom I couldn't figure it out. It wasn't it was just stuck I looked at Aaron and I was like you have to pull over and he's like, huh? I was like pull over now So he pulled over and I had to like I had to make myself throw up just to get it out of me. I
Gillian (27:57)
yeah.
Yeah.
Mandy (28:24)
Like I needed this and I was in the middle of the desert and I felt fantastic.
Gillian (28:28)
So let me ask you a question then, because if you're listening and hearing these stories, you've probably thought of a million instances where you've had something wild happen post -show. But what I find to be the most bizarre thing about post -show eating is that you can throw up in the desert and the next day, why does your body want that food again? Like, even though you know better.
Mandy (28:52)
Ugh.
Gillian (28:53)
And I want to talk about that today because there is a science behind it. But I think that is the most maddening thing for anybody who, you know, maybe Saturday after the show, they have a cheat meal and then Sunday, they have a cheat meal. Monday, they're like, I have a food hangover. I never want to see that food again. Tuesday rolls around and you want that food again. It's like you didn't learn your lesson. Yeah. So I think that's, that's a very alarming thing where somebody's like, like I'm.
Mandy (29:07)
And then he won it again. Yeah, no, it was later that night. Yeah, because that was in the morning.
Gillian (29:17)
Maybe I should have never competed or like my I'm a mess. What's wrong with me? But there is like, you know, things going on in your body that can explain that. And maybe for some people, if they like to know what's going on and they understand the reasoning, maybe they won't feel so bad about it and kind of start to, you know, take some of that guilt off.
Mandy (29:34)
So yeah, so before we pivot to that, cause that's like spot on to like pivot to it. Cause like not only did I throw up, I felt better of course, like you said, I felt great. And I did, I never wanted to eat. I was like, I'm never gonna do that again. I need to keep my gains. Drove to Palm Springs, got to the condo we were staying at, went to the grocery store, got my, you know, whatever, tuna packets, protein, whatever, all this stuff that we're supposed to get, right?
Gillian (29:48)
never doing it again. Yeah.
Yeah.
Mandy (30:02)
Do you, what do you think I ate for dinner? Like, what do you, I went, my dad wanted to go out to dinner. I'm on vacation. Why would I want to eat tuna packets and green beans on vacation when I can go out to like a fancy dinner my dad's gonna pay for? So yeah, exactly. So, and you are perfect to explain this. So you can explain the science behind why this happens. my goodness.
Gillian (30:03)
Yeah, you slept with the bad ex boyfriend. That's what you did. You went back to the ex. Like, and you know better.
Yeah. Yeah, no. Yep. Even though I know better and I threw up this morning. Yep.
Let me get my notes and my stethoscope and my professor hat. No, I don't need my notes. No, because I...
I have clients that are in tears in their check -ins because they're like, I'm trying to stick to this reverse, but every day, no matter how sick I got the day before, I want more food. And I think it's helpful to understand what's going on in your body so that you don't think that it's got everything to do with willpower and that you suck and you have no place in this sport. So there are two, there was many hormones that are...
Mandy (30:39)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (31:02)
you know, manipulate, not manipulated, what's the word I'm looking for, that are altered in what our bodies go through in PrEP. You know, our hypothalamus is down -regulated, our pituitary gland, our female sex hormones, you know, testosterone, all these things change when we are leaner, when we're, you know, in a caloric deficit for a long time. Yeah. yeah.
Mandy (31:03)
Mm -hmm.
Especially our female hormones, they're almost non -existent. We can put ourselves in an infertile state.
Gillian (31:31)
yeah, definitely. Because maintaining, you know, stage lean for a while, if you've got like a lot of shows going on, I mean, I'm starting to kind of feel it now because it's been, you know, a little while and I still have another month before I'm going into a little break. But yeah, these things all change. So you'll be noticing along the way, you know, changes in libido, changes in energy level, all these things, right? Thyroid changes, all these things. And that's, that's part of it. And it all, it can all go back to normal. It really can. But two really important hormones are
Mandy (31:58)
Yes.
Gillian (32:00)
are leptin and ghrelin. And they're responsible for kind of a similar thing. Ghrelin is the hunger hormone, and then leptin is the satiety hormone. And leptin is actually stored in body fat. So as your body fat decreases, your leptin decreases. And what that means is that the food that used to satisfy you doesn't satisfy you anymore. And so you go into your...
Mandy (32:14)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (32:29)
evening after the show, the day after the show and you're eating food and the ghrelin increases as you start to eat more. You know, you've got a burger and then the ghrelin is, you know, really high and then your leptin is still low because your body fat is still low. So you don't have enough leptin to balance the ghrelin and you have this going on and it just takes time. It will level out and you don't have to gain weight.
Mandy (32:43)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (32:51)
a ton of weight for it to level out. But you know, you have to kind of restore some of that body fat, you know, put on however much body fat your individual body needs. I will not say a number on this podcast. It's like a rule I have, but everyone's different, but it just takes time to kind of level out. So if you're patient with yourself and just understand it's normal, then I think it's easier to navigate that without so much guilt and shame, because if you feel too guilty and shameful, then you won't talk to people and you won't reach out for help and you just.
Mandy (32:54)
Mm -hmm.
Yeah, I -
Gillian (33:21)
blame yourself and then your eight weeks post show and you're you know
40 pounds heavier and you feel terrible and you don't want to go to the gym because you're embarrassed and you feel like you've let everybody down and all your hard work has gone. And so I think that, you know, just understanding the science and then not putting so much blame and guilt on yourself is key to just getting, you just got to get through it. It's rough and the cravings eventually they settle down. but I find what's helpful is to just like put a snack in your day and, and it might scare you to do that, but if you,
Mandy (33:40)
Mm -hmm.
Yeah.
Gillian (33:56)
If you don't, you're gonna eventually drive yourself crazy and find yourself binging. So, you know, if that means you have an Oreo every day, okay, it's fine. It's better than having 20 because you made yourself crazy about them, you know? So.
Mandy (34:00)
Mm -hmm.
yeah.
Yeah, a perfect example, like my reverse diet. So the mental fortitude that you have to have, I know whenever you're going into your reverse diet, you want all of these things. You feel, especially as a new competitor, you feel completely deprived. You have all of these hormone issues going on right now. They're trying to, like you said, trying to balance out. They're trying, they're fighting. Your mental fortitude is...
is gonna be kicked in the ass, really. Because you're gonna be like, well, one snack won't hurt and this snack won't hurt and this snack and it adds up. One thing I wanna share with you, a few things that I have done these last two weeks that have really, really helped me. And I almost didn't even need the help per se. Like I'm already pretty like.
Gillian (34:45)
Yum.
Mm -hmm.
Mandy (34:58)
you know, forget it, I'll just eat like an extra little bit of rice, like an ideal, you know, whatever. But, but why do that when I can be a little bit more experimental, right? So, like you said, have a, like somebody you can add a snack in or like what I do as I take one of my meals and my meals of being like protein, carbs, fat, veggie, one of my bigger meals, right? So I'll take that and I'll make protein ice cream.
It's the same thing. It's the same measurement. I'll do protein ice cream. I'll use a ninja creamy. And then what I'll do is instead of my fats, like sometimes I, or with my fats, I'll put nut butter on it. If I have, if I don't have a fat, I'll make nut butter out of PB fit and you just do sugar -free maple syrup and you add water, salt, you can flavor it how you want. You can use that as it is. You can use it as a drizzle. I, I don't think I've shown you this because this is a new purchase of mine.
Gillian (35:40)
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm. That's really good. Mm -hmm. Yeah.
Mandy (35:53)
I don't have any with me right now. I started using Twisted Dough protein dough. They're macros. I they always tasted good, but
Gillian (35:58)
I've had that before, yeah.
Hmm.
Mandy (36:03)
before I just couldn't keep them in the house. I wasn't responsible enough just hands down years ago. Like years ago I wasn't, but now it's like, okay, no, their macros fit really well. They're very low fat, low carb and high protein. So I can do like a tablespoon of that and put it in the microwave and it turns into like a cookie crumble because it bakes. So I have like a brookie cookie crumble on top of my protein ice cream with, yeah, with a PB fit drizzle. Like you can come up with little creative ways.
Gillian (36:09)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Mm -hmm.
Aw. That's my daughter.
Mandy (36:33)
So like PB fit sugar free jelly sugar free
maple syrup, you know, measure it out with a tablespoon. Don't go crazy because your stomach's still not used to those things. Like don't just like squirt the whole thing on like that. You don't want to upset your stomach. But like a little bit here and there that can satisfy like that satiation that you have for like, I want something sweet. I want something salty. You know, doing those kinds of things have really like just helped when I like I'm sitting watching TV with the husband at night and he's eating, you know, the stuff he's eating. Now, can I eat my normal, you know, food that's prepped? Absolutely. But like,
Gillian (36:58)
Yeah.
Mandy (37:08)
know why not indulge a little bit in something that fits in so just there's ways to be like slightly creative while you're slowly getting you know out of your prep and into your improvement season and finding those ways definitely can help you know finding things to cook and bake and you know it it's helpful it helps with those tastes for sure.
Gillian (37:14)
Yeah.
I have clients send me things all the time on Instagram. I'm like, hey coach, in six weeks, can this be on my reverse? I'm like, sure.
Mandy (37:30)
Yeah. I do.
Gillian (37:34)
and I think that that has really helped my clients. So at our company, mom shall method fitness, we do meal plans. We don't do macros. And so, you know, in the design of a meal plan, sometimes, you know, we need input because your nutrition is very, very personal. I don't know, you know, I can tell you what I would like to eat, but you know, it's very personal. So, I do a lot of collaborative meetings with my clients when we're planning reverse. and it's like, Hey, can I like have something sweet for breakfast? Like,
Mandy (37:34)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (38:04)
like maybe those like Kodiak pancakes, like I love those. Sure. I really miss my Quest bars. Yep, let's put those in. And I find if we work together on it, it doesn't feel as strict and we can kind of keep a tight rein. And then I, each week when we check in, I'm assessing their hunger and how they're doing with their food relationship. And, you know, I had one client that was like, my God, I went kind of crazy on the Cheddar Mini Rice Cakes. I was like, well, let's just build them into your plan, you know? no, I think it might've actually been Cheetos. And I was like, okay, well,
Mandy (38:06)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (38:34)
Have you tried the cheddar mini rice cakes? And so we built those in and she's like, I feel guilty eating these. And I'm like, but it's fine. Like it's a rice cake and it's cheddar. She's like, but they're too good. I'm like, yeah, but that's what this is about. And then as she sort of watched her body do well and her metabolism increase, then she was like, my, you know, this is great. And we got to increase the food and, and all of that. So I think just like being able to have those conversations, like I'm going to talk to my coach about my reverse and kind of what my goals are and how I want to make
Mandy (38:45)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (39:04)
strategic for myself. But of course I have 19 years experience so I have just a lot of a lot of failures that I can I can remember and not having plans. And also I had to prepare myself for two outcomes. The one I want and the one I might I don't want. And I have to be mentally strong in either way. Like I can't celebrate too much if things go the way that I have dreamt for my whole life. I can't be sad and in a hole and go down a bad
Mandy (39:12)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (39:32)
path because they don't go that way. So I've kind of like got that going on in my head and a plan for that so I can enjoy my summer and, you know, strategically plan for the rest. And so I just think it's smart, it's smart to have a plan and don't just only think about up until the day of your show. Start thinking about your reverse, start having those conversations, do Celeste's free course, watch podcasts, listen to YouTube.
Mandy (39:35)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (39:57)
All the things, like get all the information that you can so that you're prepared. And just take it one day at a time. Like if you treated your prep like it all had to be achieved in like one week, well, I mean, you'd never get there. So.
The same goes for your reverse. It's important to execute it well, but if you don't, it's okay. You just have to take it one day at a time and focus on your goals. And everybody's messed up, and they always end up coming back and getting it together. And you learn from it, hopefully, right?
Mandy (40:24)
Yeah. Yeah. And always, and always remember your goals. Cause that's kind of the, the process of the reverse is like, why are you going into reverse? And what do you want to accomplish with your improvement season? Because that's another thing, you know, you want to really think about, especially if you want to make this sport, you want to go pro, you want to go to a pro qualifying show, you want to grow in the sport, you want to look a certain way, you want to feel a certain way. Understand that a lot, if not,
Gillian (40:31)
Mm -hmm.
Yeah.
Mandy (40:53)
all of that happens in your improvement season because that is the time where you can, you are in your reverse, you're raising your calories. And the point of raising your calories is to regulate your hormones, start building muscle tissue, get, you know, get feeling better, have, you know, a better mental fortitude, you know, mental strength. And you get to a point where, okay,
Gillian (40:57)
Yeah.
Mm -hmm.
Mandy (41:17)
Understand that you're not gonna look like you did in prep at the gym. You're gonna look different and embrace that and love your body for it because now is when the real work begins and you can have so much fun with it. When I tell you that in 2022, I, or 23,
Gillian (41:27)
Yeah.
Hmm.
Mandy (41:40)
I traveled everywhere and I don't mean just for expediting. I went to Spain for two weeks. I went to Vegas. I went to Florida. I traveled. I traveled all the time for all sorts of different experiences, family stuff, sports stuff, you know, expediting, bodybuilding things. And I, I ate as best as I really could, you know, as I did, but I stayed consistent at the gym. And if you look at the posts that I made today, I don't look like I do now, but like I'm able to have the physique I have now.
Gillian (41:46)
yeah.
Mm -hmm.
Mandy (42:10)
because I spent time building it. And that's, you know, remember your why when you go into an off season, don't just sit and eat a bag of, you know, Doritos or whatever, just because you can remember like food is fuel. Food is gonna help you achieve what you want to achieve. Rather it's a physical look, you know, growth in the sport, you know, or, you know, wanting to be more active and have, you know, healthier long life for your kids.
Gillian (42:16)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Mm -hmm.
Mandy (42:38)
food is going to give you that. And so is being active in the gym.
Gillian (42:42)
It's so true.
And I think we talked about this on a prior episode about just like remembering who you are. And I think that most people like come into bodybuilding because they had a love for fitness. They had a love for healthy eating. They discovered how they felt when they ate a good amount of healthy protein and they drank water. So like remember those things. Because I think that was something that I forgot in my first off season. I, you know, went to a drive through and I don't think I'd ever been to like Burger King or like
Mandy (42:49)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (43:13)
I had never been a fast food person ever in my life. Again, some of that stems from having battled anorexia and just choosing healthy options because I wanted to eat healthy. So I was a very healthy eater. And then I did my first show and all of a sudden I'm getting Dairy Queen and all, like what? No, it's like, yeah, it just didn't make any sense. But again, there wasn't the information that we have now. So I think like,
Mandy (43:17)
Mm -hmm.
It's like why? Why eat it?
Gillian (43:43)
remember that when you've when you think about where you started and you know how you came into this and then just finding that that balance and and and treating it like a choice and you know if you love to work out that's why you did this you wouldn't want to be a bodybuilder if you hated lifting weights right you know and I think that just you know just having somebody to support you and having a plan but I went on a tangent there and I don't remember what I was gonna say it was good though it was good.
Mandy (43:57)
Mm -hmm.
Right.
So wait, is this this is what I have to carry us. So there is there is getting ready for reverse, though. I do want to talk about this because I feel like it's probably one of the most difficult things, especially being an expediter and traveling to all the shows that I see every show. We'll just say every show. As you compete and you have all your friends and family just love on you and support you and cheer you on. And it's fantastic. Communicate with.
Gillian (44:13)
Yep, Mandy.
Yeah.
Mandy (44:40)
them. Like sit down, have a phone call, whatever it is and let them know like, Hey, I love that you're going to be at my show. I love that you're going to come see me. I love that you're going to cheer me on. Please don't bring food every time it. Yeah, it's I always see competitors that are just very excited and elated. They love the sport. They're so happy. And a lot of times like friends and family, they mean well, they do. They never mean a disservice.
Gillian (44:41)
Mm -hmm.
I'm good. I don't need it. Yeah, I don't want any. I'm fine.
Mm -hmm.
Mandy (45:10)
They look at our sport and think, okay, my son, husband, wife, whatever, mother, just did a 24 week prep. Now she can go out to dinner every other day. Now she can drink wine with me. Now she can have, we can have burgers every night. They believe that after you're done competing, then you can return back to a person that maybe you,
Gillian (45:36)
Yeah.
Mandy (45:40)
You never actually were. They just are so used to you meal prepping and being at the gym and being scheduled and being really strict. Yeah.
Gillian (45:42)
Yeah.
Or they imagine it being terrible. Like it was so awful. Surely you cannot wait to just go to Chick -fil -A every night, you know?
Mandy (45:53)
They don't understand and nothing is wrong with that. But like having a conversation with your friends and family and understand and let them know like, hey, I really bring me flowers, you know, something special that's fantastic. But you know, if you wanna go out to dinner and celebrate with them, great, enjoy that time. I always recommend spreading out the love. Like, if your friends and family are at your show, go to dinner, you know, do what you planned.
Gillian (45:59)
Hmm.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Mandy (46:21)
But then if you have other friends and family that have waited to, I don't know, like spend time with you and you wanna do a food thing with them, plan it for the next week or the next, yeah, spread it out. Just communicate because they don't know. They will never understand. It's up to you to set those boundaries for them so they can respect them and everybody will be happier.
Gillian (46:30)
Just space it out. It's not going anywhere. Yeah.
Mandy (46:48)
because the last thing you wanna do is feel forced to go out to dinner and then nobody's gonna have a good time. And nobody's gonna feel good.
Gillian (46:53)
Yeah, yeah. And again, like you have all the time in the world, like the food's not going anywhere. It's, you know, getting out of that scarcity mindset of, you know, like, I got to get all this eating in because I'm going, you know. What is? The food's not going anywhere.
Mandy (47:05)
I feel like that's my new saying. It really is. The food's not going anywhere. Like we can door dash it. I can sit here right now and pick up my phone and I can door dash like a whole carrot, I like carrot cake, carrot cake with my name on it and say like, I don't know, say whatever I want it to and it'll be on my door and like, I bet like 45 minutes. Like food, it does, it's insane.
Gillian (47:25)
That just blows your mind, doesn't it? It does. Yeah. So I remember what I was going to say. And it was really, yeah, and it's good.
Mandy (47:33)
you didn't? Look at you go!
Gillian (47:36)
good. So you know what I think is important and what is wonderful about you know all of the information that we have now is sort of this like acceptance of being an athlete all year round. And truly when you look at shows and you look at the level of competition even at like in the true novice class at these shows you know this isn't like a four months and done sort of endeavor. And and really I don't know what the
statistics are. But like I would say most people don't just do one show. Like I think they do one show and and they might prep for like seven years before they do another one, but they're kind of always thinking about it because it is just so satisfying and you're so proud of yourself, you know. And so if that's the case, you have to think about your goals all year round and like, no, you're not laser focused in your improvement season. You're like, you know, I remember one time I was counting and I was like, I'm 385 days out. Like it was really
far away. but you know, was I laser focused the entire time? No, you know, you've got to, you got to have that time to just like, you know, give yourself a break. But did I take my vitamins every day and pour out my measured water and drink my protein? Like I remember my, step kids when they first kind of got used to me and my habits and you know, all of us living together and I competed, you know, I'm making like, you know, chicken and rice and protein pegs. And they're like, why are you doing a competition?
Mandy (48:35)
Yeah.
Gillian (49:05)
And I'm like, well, yeah, next summer. Well, why are you eating that? I'm like, because I eat this all the time. Like, this is how I eat, right? And so, yeah.
Mandy (49:12)
yeah, Aaron's smoking my chicken tonight, well he was gonna smoke it tonight till the rain, but tomorrow he's smoking all my chicken and I still have my carrots in the fridge. I love carrots and chicken.
Gillian (49:20)
Yeah, I mean like and because I really do love that food and it doesn't like it doesn't bother me like I will meal prep and take food with me You know to Branson when we go on our family vacation like yeah i'm gonna have more freedom You know and flex meals to play with and you know some little cheeky cocktails here and there but like you know i'm probably i'm gonna train every day and i'm that's me that's who I am and so it's sort of like I talked to somebody today about this is a really cool thing that that she did
Mandy (49:34)
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (49:49)
and she evaluates her days. Is she an A or an O? And an A is an athlete and an O is old version of you. And so if you treat yourself like an athlete, you put an A. And if you are O, old version of you, which might be, you know, self -sabotaging, you know...
Mandy (50:00)
how interesting.
Gillian (50:09)
no consistency, you know, not following a plan, not, not being intentional. And then sort of looking at your month and going like, okay, did I have more A's than O's? And so I loved that. I thought, my, I'm totally stealing that. I don't know why I'm going to use it, but I was stealing it. I think that's so great because that's what you want to move towards in it. And that's not saying perfect. Nowhere in there. Did I say perfect? I said intentional.
Mandy (50:13)
Mm -hmm.
That's like you get a grid and you mark A or O, A or O and then after like 300 grids, like you know what I mean, like the grid paper that people like kids get for algebra and stuff. But, yeah. But, that was a dumb question. But yeah, you.
Gillian (50:42)
Yeah, I know, yes.
You want to go my school supply closet in my basement and grab some?
Mandy (50:56)
and I have a school supply area because yeah, what a waste.
Gillian (51:00)
Girl, I could run a school for three frickin' years with the stuff. And they bring it all home. I'm like, I don't need any more glue sticks. They use Chromebooks for everything. I'm like, why do you even need 27 glue sticks? Whatever.
Mandy (51:03)
Yeah!
Mm -hmm. That's why I have so many like binders and stuff in there. But anyways, no, that's so the A &O. So then after like, it is, that is neat. Look at you beating up your mic.
Gillian (51:15)
Yeah. Isn't that cool? Yeah. Yeah. So I thought, I know I'm like in that phase of prepper. I really can't get comfortable. so anyways, yeah, I thought that was really cool. And, and truly like that is like how I view, my reverse and improvement season now. I don't think that was the case years ago when I was still really battling with eating issues and, you know, my food relationship, but, you know, I came back from a break.
in 2020 and that was when things were really different for me. A lot of things have changed in my life and, and that is like kind of how I just look at things. It's like, you know, I'm not going to stop, you know, taking my vitamins and my pre -workout and my intro workout. And I'm still going to go to the gym at the same time every day. Like I do now, like that is like just, and honestly, cause that stuff makes me happy. So, you know, I would ask every competitor if they're like, I just, I don't want to go to the gym and I don't want to eat chicken. And I'm like, well, okay, then maybe those things don't make you happy. Okay. Well they do. Okay. Well then maybe we just.
Mandy (51:53)
Mm -hmm.
Yeah.
Gillian (52:13)
need a little bit of variety, switch things up a little bit so that you can find, you know, maybe you need, you know, a new gym. Like maybe you need, you know, to go get some new tennis shoes or, you know, a new playlist or something just to switch things up, spice it up a little bit so you get excited again. Because for some people it's really hard when the show's over to stay motivated and I get it. I've been there for sure.
Mandy (52:16)
Right?
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm. Yeah.
We both have. So, well everybody, I hope you enjoyed this episode. I hope you got some really good tips and a little insight to us. I mean, we kind of shared some deep stuff there.
Gillian (52:37)
Yeah, we have.
Yeah.
And I love when I hear from people that they've like taken a nugget from our episode, you know, because that's truly like, I always say this is our passion project because we make zero dollars doing this and we just do it because we love it. And I enjoy connecting with people and hearing that, you know, we've benefited your day, that you listen to us when you're doing cardio and you got something from it. So please, you know, just let us know. And we're here for support too. If you're like, you know, want to talk and you don't have anybody to talk to, I'm here for you.
Mandy (52:54)
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Mm -hmm.
Gillian (53:20)
before you just send me a DM, you know? Yeah.
Mandy (53:21)
yeah, always always DM either one of us and if you ever ever especially because I'm expediting the rest of the MPC Midwest shows this year if you ever see me at a show during check -ins if you see me like and You want to take pictures or you want to do anything or if you have any questions like feel free to like ask me I know I've met quite a few people at shows I've expedited or been in and it really like I It jolts me like
I, cause like you said, it is a passion project. We, you and I got together back in November, October and it's like, we want to share.
all as much as we possibly can to help as many people as we possibly can understand that you're not alone. We all go through this. We all, you know, are getting older. We all love competing. We all have goals outside of our kids, you know, and we all want to be a better, healthier version of ourselves and like step on stage or in a bikini and like, we want to share all this with you guys. And so if you ever see either one of us, like, my gosh, just like ask us anything, let us know how you feel. Give us feedback in person.
Gillian (53:58)
Mm -hmm.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Then we like people will tell us like, your mic is too quiet. I'm like, I know. Thank you. You know, because we want to yeah, we want to bring like, you know, an episode that's enjoyable for you to listen to. And we're still learning. Like there is no training on how to do this. Like we're just like, OK, let's see how this goes. You know, no, it's we Googled it. Yeah.
Mandy (54:28)
I know.
Mm -hmm.
I know there really isn't. We really wing it. Like you should be, I know, and the IT people sometimes I have to talk to, I'm just like, I'm learning. We've gotten better about learning.
Gillian (54:49)
I don't even understand how like, like analytics work. Like when I found out we were like number three in Spain or what kind of, some country were like, I was like, yeah.
Mandy (54:57)
I think it...
Gillian (55:00)
I don't know what it means, but I'm like, that's awesome. But I don't really understand how it all works because all I really care about is you guys and sharing what I know. And the fact that anyone's interested in my boring life is like fascinating to me that I'm like, you know, but I really it really is just fills my heart to do this. So I'm tired. I love you guys. Thanks.
Mandy (55:03)
right?
Mm -hmm.
Yeah. Well guys, thank you so much for listening and again let us know any of your thoughts and feedback and we'll see you next week. Bye!
Gillian (55:30)
Okay everyone.