I DID IT!!!! Official Figure Competitor Here :)

Three Days of This...

For obvious reasons, I was MIA this week. It was laser-focus time as everything was coming together, and getting stricter. Let's see if I can remember what on earth I did the last week leading up to the big day.

I met with Jodi on Tues. and my green beans switched to 8 thin asparagus spears. At that point all "free" foods (celery, cucumbers, salsa, etc.) were stopped, as well as all condiments and spices. Welcome to Bland City. Actually, it really wasn't that bad. I felt like my taste buds were hyper-sensitive. It's amazing how good plain chicken and asparagus could taste. I began taking the diuretics on Wed. and was only allowed to drink one gallon of distilled water per day from Wed. through Friday. I thought these last three days would be torture, but my period week was still the worst during this whole journey. I'm just glad my period wasn't due during contest week. Yikes.

Backstage, ready to go on

Drinking my coffee black was tough. More than anything, I just wanted a piece of gum. Gum are like my cigarettes. I chew it after eating, after coffee, when I'm hungry, when I'm bored. I think I would've picked gum over food during those final days. LOL!

I met with Jodi on Fri. to get my tan applied and get weighed and measure. My final measurements were 8.8% bodyfat (I still can't register that) and 129.4 lbs. (I guarantee I dropped another 3-4 pounds from the sodium depletion and dehydration.) The tan looked sooooo unnaturally dark, but once I got to the show, I was in good company.

As of Friday evening, I was not allowed to drink anything...not even coffee in the morning. Now, that was tough. I live on at least three cups of coffee a day. Luckily, I was busy running around Sat. morning and made sure to pack Excedrin to help alleviate any headaches. From hair and make-up, to check-in and then it was time to get ready. Jodi glued me into my bikini, applied my posing gel and had me pump up to make sure I was stage-ready. I froze when I realized I had to stand in the middle of a stage by myself and pose. AAAAHHHH!! It's like getting ready to go on a scary roller coaster -- excitement, dread and exhilaration all at once. But I did it and felt good. The other girls looked amazing. You could tell who had been training for years and who had a little "help" getting big.

Very happy to take 4th place

I hired a photographer to take some shots in between pre-judging and finals. I'll post some once I get them. But I created quite a scene in the street clad in a sparkly bikini and stripper heels. I was waiting for the cops to show up. LOL!

I relaxed at home for a few hours before heading back for more of the same. The wait was hot and borderline painful. I wavered between dizziness, thirst and impatience. I was ready to get on stage just to be done standing around in 5-inch heels using bands to pump up.

While I didn't place in the Open category, I did get 4th place in the Masters Division. I was just happy to get a little trophy. :)

The girls I spoke to say that I would get hooked and I'm seriously considering doing a show in October. I thought if I placed in the top 3, I would want to go on. Getting 4th has made me more determined to place in the top 3.

I would be remiss if I didn't outline exactly what I ate after the show. After running backstage to chug two bottles of water and scarf all the dark chocolate I brought, my BFF and her husband, my husband and my parents headed to Outback for the steak I was craving all week. Here's the celebration meal:

- Watermelon margarita (2)
- Bloomin' Onion
- Spinach & Artichoke Dip
- Pecan, blue cheese chopped salad
- 9 oz. sirloin with blue cheese crumble
- Sweet potato fries
- Sinful sundae (vanilla ice cream rolled in toasted coconut) on top of a hot brownie, whipped cream and strawberries
- Coffee

While I thought I would be sick after having all that food, I actually felt great...just tired and in dire need of a shower.

Stay tuned. We may go another round...