Blog Post by Chris Jenkins: IFBB State and National title holder.

Well here I am, 19 weeks and out from my comp and I’ve cleaned up my diet… Which for me means no more drive thru at midnight and the sushi is out!!!  But, as I begin my diet, I’m gonna tell you (or remind some you) of all the exciting things that you have to look forward to as the comp draws closer!!!

People will get annoying!
This is pretty self explanatory…  and it goes with the territory of low calories!!! You’re gonna get constant questions about why and what you’re eating, and if that’s not enough you’re probably gonna have to listen to some terribly built runt tell you how it’s not living to eat like this !!!  Another favourite is the people who want to ask you every day, how long to go… it might sound rude, but when you’re tired and hungry and you get asked the same question over and over it starts to send a poor hungry soul a bit mad …  it’s even better when you’re on the treadmill (or cardio equipment of choice) that every single person who walks past, stops to ask you how you’re feeling…  I know it’s great that people care to ask, but geez, I can only tell people I feel like death so many times before you either want shoot them or yourself!!
Significant others too will become another huge problem… now don’t get me wrong, their support is imperative – but it comes at a price… and the price is gonna be greater when dealing with someone who’s never done it, or at least been there to see someone else go through it. I think every girlfriend I’ve had through contest prep has asked me “don’t you find me attractive anymore?” They don’t understand that when you say you’re stuffed… you really truly are!!!!
Now let’s not forget the family member, friend or partner who when you mention how tired you are, or how hungry you are, that always has to say “well no one’s forcing you to do this!” I can’t think of more infuriating line!!!!!!!!

Cheat meals!
Now here’s the good part! Well at least for those of you have cheats. I have cheat meals and I 100% think they are beneficial! Food will honestly never ever taste so good! It’s crazy but when you start smashing your cheat of choice, you can literally feel your metabolism “humming”. I’m a big fan of going to a nice restaurant and getting something really nice for a cheat … when I first started out i just hit up maccas or KFC in a frenzy. But now, I want something real nice…  something like a salt pepper calamari, eye fillet steak with mash and then some nice desert!!!!

Sleep!
If this isn’t your first night at the school dance then you know that the further into prep you get – the less you sleep! I think at 4 weeks out if I’m stringing 4 solid hours together I’ve done well! It’s also funny though that you will feel like you can function on a whole lot less sleep than normal – or maybe you’re just used to feeling like shit – lol either way!

Clothes!

Now this one is always a pain in the ass for me! One minute your clothes are too tight! The next they’re too big… you can’t win right?  This is gonna be worse for someone who has let themselves slip or made huge gains in the offseason!!!!  I use this as an excuse to score myself some new gear – can’t have too many GASP or Better Bodies clothes in the wardrobe when you’re in kick-ass shape!

And finally…. food cravings!

Now I want clear up that I’m talking about real food cravings, not the ones you hear sports/bikini models talk that are at 15 or 20% body fat talking about… I’m talking about the ones when you’re sub 5% body fat … the ones where you dream about holding up KFC for all the hot’n’spicy they’ve got! Or when your dream about eating all this crazy food and then wake up freaking out wondering if you actually ate that food!!!!

So that’s just some of the fun and exciting things i have to look for in the coming weeks… I’m sure you will notice my mental state slowly get crazier and crazier!

If you would like to hear more from Chris – you can find him over on his facebook page: www.facebook.com/chrisjenkinsbodybuilder or at his website: www.chrisjenkins.com.au