Bikini Contest Prep (8 Weeks Out Recap)

This Saturday will be 7 weeks until my bikini contest.  Seven weeks sounds so much shorter than 8 weeks, less than 2 months away.  I’m getting a little freaked out because, up to now, I’m mostly just thinking day to day with my food and the training, not really focusing on having to get on stage at the end of this all and be judged.  The scariest part of this is the posing that’s required at these bikini shows.  It’s not traditional flexing, showing of biceps, but there is a certain way of standing and doing some turns to show off your body from every angle.  In the photo below, the girl in the middle is holding the best pose the way she is twisting her torso.

This is a good example of the pose I’m learning.   This woman, Candice Conroy, placed 1st in the Pro Bikini Division at a 2013contest.  She’s 5’2- short like me! 🙂

I have a posing coach and we’ve worked together twice, 30 minutes each time.  I have two more sessions with her, unless I need more, which I probably will. The first time was basically awful, she said “I couldn’t stand properly, couldn’t twist, my middle was too thick, I needed to loosen up and get a massage, I should start tanning right away so I didn’t look muddy with the fake tanning paint, my shoes were wrong, I wasn’t wearing the right booty shorts, blah blah blah.”  I was really discouraged and, due to schedule issues, I didn’t go back for 3 weeks.  In her defense, she is very passionate about her sport and takes her career very seriously.  She wants the women she works with to be at the top of their game and to feel very confident when they get on stage.  

The second time (last Friday) was much better.  I had my clear 5-inch heels, the proper booty shorts, my waist had decreased, I put on self-tanner and I was able to hold a pose- albeit sweating my arse off and shaking a little.  It’s actually really hard to contort your body this way when you’re not used to it and just learning.  My coach snapped a pic when she thought I was holding the poses pretty well- you can see by the look on my face I’m just trying not to tip over.  These are just iPhone pics and I tried to spare you an up-close butt shot. 😉  These photos were taken on Friday, May 9, 2014.  Seeing myself from the back really surprised me (obviously, I never see that view) so I’m happy with the progress on my hamstrings and calves (but she pointed out my left hamstring is more developed than my right).  I had almost no leg muscle definition when I started.  Lunges, lunges, and more lunges.  I do them probably 5 days a week.  Walking lunges, in-place lunges, jumping lunges, lunges with weights, lunges without weights, side to side lunges . . . you get the idea. 
And, for comparison, here’s where I started in February- the pic on the left below is me after my first week working out and eating better.  This is almost exactly 3 months’ difference.  I hope this encourages you with what you can accomplish in a (relatively) short amount of time. 
I’m trying REALLY hard to be perfect with my food, but it’s not the way I love to eat.  I want to eat chocolate everyday, just a small piece at least, but I don’t.  I fight this daily, especially in the evening.  My protein shake is chocolate, so it’ll have to do.  We are down to the nitty gritty, so everything counts.  And I want to finish strong.  I don’t know that I’ll ever do this again, so I want to do it well the first time!  
My meal plan is the same, except, I’m down from 1/2 cup of rice to 1/3 cup or from 5oz potato to 4oz.  
I can add seasonings like Mrs. Dash and I learned I could put all natural fruit spread on my pancakes (thank God because I pretty much hate them without peanut butter).  My big fail is my coffee creamer.  I admit to still using it a few times a week!  🙁  I know I shouldn’t, but damn.

Have a great weekend!

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Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

24 Comments

  1. Good job Megan. I think you'll be ready in time. I was under the impression it was more of a bodybuilding contest with bodybuilding poses. As a result, I thought you had to be ripped (defined) a lot more and more muscular. The above photos helped. I'll have to look at the different levels again. Keep up the good work!

    1. i think the fitness comp industry is the new hybrid of beauty contests. Miss America Dropped out.. and Beauty is not dead. Not is Glamour Sex Appeal is found in a strong feminine physique and disposition. How many body builders have actual. pageant experience?/Wouldnt it make sense to hire a pageant coach instead.of the old school posing coaches? I am competing in my first fitness comp
      next year.. and mark my words.. i will thrilled to conquer this industry and train the muscle models how to be a beauty queen, because, i see it morphing. Beauty of face and hair charisma and feminine glamourous strength is what wins. You heArd it here first.

  2. So impressed. My knees are so wrecked from years of running and I've really struggled to stay in shape once running was off the table for me. Even the classics like squats and lunges hurt my knees after a few days. BUT…back to you – you are looking so fantastic, I can hardly imagine it getting better in the next 7 weeks!

  3. You look absolutely phenomenal. So interesting to read how hard it is to "pose" correctly, but of course it's so much more complicated than it looks. 🙂 Good luck! I don't know how you avoid chocolate… I just can't.

  4. You are SUCH an amazing inspiration. Thank you for being so willing to share your journey to complete strangers. From someone who will never compete in a bikini contest or have your body, its great motivation nonetheless. Got ingredients to attempt your protein pancakes & turkey taco casserole tomorrow. Can't wait. Thanks again!

  5. Megan you are amazing and should be so proud of yourself. I honestly didn't think it was possible to be in better shape than you were before and I am just in awe of you ! I am 5'2" also and around 50kgs but not even close to your muscle tone – I just love my chocolate too much 😉 Am trying though ! Keep up the good work and wishing you so much luck for the competition.

  6. Hi Megan – you look amazing and should be so incredibly proud of yourself ! I really didn't think it was possible to get any better than your original photos and just a few months later and I'm totally in awe 😉 I'm 5'2" and around 50kg but have a very long way to go to get into your shape… and I just love my chocolate too much 😉 Good luck for the competition – just think of the feast you can have once it's done!! Kimberley x

  7. Love reading these posts! You are doing AWESOME! Posing is the hardest part for everyone. I do a lot of twisting of just my torso during prep. Around the house, whenever you are standing just twist your torso to the right a couple of times, then twist to the left. Get your torso used to the awkward twist. It's an even deeper twist for us figure girls so I did A LOT of twisting! ha! Oh, and BACKBENDS. It helps to limber up your core. Otherwise your back is going to kill! Yoga helps too. Near the end of my prep last Spring, I went to a yoga class every day. I feel like it helped. Your hammies look crazy good! Nice work!

  8. This post cracked me up! You are looking so great! I remember the week 1 picture thinking you looked great but you are so right the difference is amazing. Your hard work and I think you found an amazing trainer/motivator too which has made such a difference. The back of your legs look really good too even or uneven, lol. Oh and i love those polka dot aqua shorts, so cute.

  9. you look amazing Megan! so inspiring. your experience sounds a lot like pageant coaching! (that's my background) 🙂 lol, love it!

  10. Wow!!! You look fantastic!! What an inspiration! Thanks so much for posting the details of your training and meal plan – it's awesome to see the amazing results as well as exactly how you got there! You are going to kill it at the show! 🙂

  11. Megan, you are so inspiring! Amazing things happen right when it gets really hard, if you can just push through that wall. I wanted to mention, although this might be a big no-no with your trainer, if when you are craving chocolate, your body is actually telling you that it needs magnesium. You can get magnesium by eating raw nuts and seeds, legumes and fruits. I know the point of your diet is to limit fat so as to burn it faster but a few almonds or walnuts daily would probably make you feel better. I am a huge chocoholic (I recently devoured a 3 lb bag of chocolate chips over a month-nasty!) and the only way I can keep it in check is by reaching for a handful of almonds, cashews and sunflower seeds in the afternoons when I get the hunger pains and the chocolate craving hits. I just thought I'd mention it as one chocolate lover but foodie conscious gal to another 🙂

  12. Wow, That's the first thing that come to my mind. It shows how much work and effort you put into fitness and living a healthy lifestyle you truly are an inspiration for others out there like myself who continue to try to be fit.I actually just started my journey to fitness and try to improve my eating habits. I have been posting my daily meals on my new blog http://venture2befit.blogspot.com/

  13. I have followed your blog from before you even started this journey to bikini contest and it has been amazing reading your progress! You look great and are inspirational! Thank you for keepin it real and for filling us in on your meal plans and training! Keep it up! You're doing awesome!

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