The Importance of Progress Photos

If you’re anything like me, you want immediate results. Your thought process is something like this, “I’ve been hitting my glutes harder for the past 2 weeks, my butt MUST be huge by now…” or “I’ve increased my cardio this past week. Do I have abs now?”

The body takes quite a bit of time to change and here is where progress photos come in. Honestly, I hardly ever track my body fat and only check my weight once a week to report it to my coach. Other than that, I go off of my photos. Why? Because we all want to look good naked and photos show way more than the scale or your body fat!

I have been taking weekly photos for the past 3 solid years and the change is incredible. My weight has ranged from 103 lbs-130 lbs and my body fat has ranged from 12% to something around 28%.

Left: When I decided to start losing weight 3 years ago. 125 lbs.
Center: 6 months after left photo. I was doing a ton of cardio and not eating a whole lot. I had no idea what I was doing with my diet or the way my workouts were structured. I clearly burned through a good amount of fat and muscle. So sad. 103 lbs.
Right: Right when I started my prep for the second show. 2 years after the center photo. 128 lbs.

Left: A few days before my competition. 120 lbs.
Right: 10 weeks into my off season. 125 lbs.

Left: The thinnest I’ve been at 103 lbs
Right: A few days before my show: 120 lbs

Left: The thinnest I’ve been.
Right: Me on stage in November 2013

Left: A year ago
Right: Last week

There is so much progress that the scale and numbers won’t show! I highly recommend taking weekly photos. They are such a great reference for how far you’ve come. Whenever I feel discouraged or unmotivated, I look through my photos. And the best part about it… I can’t wait to look back in a year from now and see even more change!!!!

Follow me on Instagram for more progress photos: SKSAHNI

Time To Get Back On Track!

I’m about 11 weeks into my offseason and had really been feeling lost. There were a few things contributing to this and since I was tired of not taking action, last week I made some help changes. I thought I’d openly discuss the issues and how I went about fixing them in hopes that this can help other competitors and/or individuals trying to make healthier life choices.

ISSUE 1: I am eating way too many cheat meals! Yes, I said it. No, I can’t stay lean if I’m eating bowls of granola and chocolate chips every single night. More than anything, I just feel gross afterwards and it isn’t worth it.

HOW TO FIX: I am going to allow myself 2 weekly cheat meals. Wednesdays and Sundays.

ISSUE 2: My workouts are so scattered and unplanned!

HOW TO FIX: I have set a brand new workout schedule based on what body parts need improvement. Here it is:

Monday: Shoulders/Triceps/Calves
Tuesday: Glutes (rep range 6-10)
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Back/Biceps/Calves
Friday: Legs (rep range 15-20)
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Glutes and Hamstrings (rep range 10-15)

ISSUE 3: I basically only do cardio when I feel like it. I’m getting way too lazy.

HOW TO FIX: I promised myself that I have to do 2 sessions of HIIT and 2 sessions of steady state cardio. I can decide which days to do them on, but 4 sessions need to happen each week until my coach tells me to reduce it.

ISSUE 4: I’ve been eating the same foods over and over. I’m bored, and because of this I sometimes skip meals or eat off my diet.

HOW TO FIX: I have revamped my diet! I have switched up my protein, carb, and fat sources. I am eating a variety of vegetables and have also found new ways to cook my food. A little bit of imagination will go a long way.

These few changes within the past week have helped me tremendously! I actually feel like I have a solid plan in place to stay on track during the offseason in order to make gains and stay in shape.

Follow me on Instagram:SKSAHNI

Workout Videos!

5 Steps to Transition From Contest Prep to Off Season

You worked your butt off dieting down, doing cardio daily, lifting like there’s no tomorrow, and looked phenomenal on stage. After the high of competing, now what?!

Step 1: Contact the Judges

Whether you won the overall or placed dead last, there is always room for improvement. I found it very useful to contact the judges and ask exactly how I can come in better and what it’ll take to win.

Make sure you send in photos of yourself in different poses. Email the promoter of the show and ask him/her for feedback and to forward your email to every judge. You can find the promoters email address on the NPC News Online website.

Sample email:
John,
I had such a wonderful time competing at your show last weekend. I wanted to know if I could please get feedback from you and all the judges on what I can improve on (conditioning, symmetry, posing, hair, makeup, etc.) I am attaching a few photos of myself. Thank you very much, looking forward to hearing from you and competing at your next show.

Regards,
Sumeet Sahni
Open Bikini Class C (4th place, #254)

Step 2: Set Your New Goal(s)

Now, using the information you’ve gathered from judges and what look you noticed they were leaning towards at the competition, you can make a goal.

After my first show, my goal was to put mass everywhere and work on my posing. After my last show, my goal is to put mass on my calves, not to put anymore mass on my upper body, only pose with legs crossed, and to make sure I don’t come in overly conditioned (too lean).

Step 3: Determine Your New Diet

It’s really important to make a transition diet plan for post competition BEFORE you even compete. The last thing you want is to be bingeing and have no structured diet after your show.

I gave myself a week post show to have a few cheat meals and then got on my off season diet.

Your off season diet should be based on what your new goal(s) are.

Step 4: Plan Out Your Cardio

What will your offseason cardio look like? What will the frequency, duration, and intensity be?

Personally, I like to do about 3-4 sessions of HIIT a week.

Step 5: Prepare For Your Physique To Change

This is the hardest thing for me to come to terms with. After having ripped, veiny abs for 5 months, they have disappeared! Be mentally prepared for your body to change fairly quickly post show.

My weight usually goes up 3-5 pounds within the first month of off season and from then on I usually slowly gain weight, if my goal is to put on muscle, until it’s time to diet down for a show. If my body fat gets too high, I go on a mini diet during my offseason.

Making a post show plan for yourself will make your transition into the offseason mentally, physically, and emotionally easier! Make sure your off season plan is well thought out and productive.

You Are More Than Your Placing

This past competition season, I’ve placed the best and worst ever. After coming off my win in my first competition in October (18 competitors), I felt amazing! It was so good to know that my hard work and vision for what a bikini competitor should look like was in line with the judges.

I went on to compete in November and came in 4th in Novice Bikini (30+ competitors) and 9th place in Open Bikini (35+ competitors).

Woah, wtf happened?! Then crept in the negativity. Maybe I don’t have the right look. Maybe I need to compete as a figure competitor. Do I even want to continue competing then? Did I not do enough cardio? I’ll be honest, after prejudging, I didn’t even want to go to the night show! Yes, I’m dead serious.

I knew that I would be able to find the positive in this situation, but in the moment I was so unhappy and couldn’t get myself to be ok with the uncontrollable. I felt stuck in my negative self-talk. All I wanted to do was eat a cheeseburger and hide forever.

Here’s the thing, after exactly 1 month since my second show, I’ve realized that competing is so subjective. There are professional bikini competitors that are on the more muscular side and pros that are more on the thin side. Competitors that got their pro card in their 2nd show, and competitors that after competing for years won their pro card. Natalie Melo went from Ms. Bikini Olympia to 4th place! Judges are always changing and what they are looking for is probably also changing too. Through the ups and downs of competing one thing HAS to stay constant. You better absolutely love the way you look and the package you bring to the stage every show.

I was way more positive during the prep for the first show. I was focused, determined, and happy! I’m not sure what exactly happened for the second show, but I started feeling run down, exhausted, and negative. Also, my coach and I decided to present a different look to the stage. I came in a little softer and really didn’t like the physique I was bringing to the second show. Now, I don’t know if I’d place better, the same, or worst if I came in drier and tighter, but I know I would’ve liked the way I looked onstage better, which would in turn show during my presentation.

At the end of the day, when you are alone with your thoughts and falling asleep, if you are not happy with yourself, what good is first place? And what if you came in last but loved the way you looked, learned so much, are in love with the sport, and can’t wait to compete again? I’d call the latter the true winner.

I learned that I am more than my placing. I can’t let the placing written on a trophy define me as a person. 1st or 9th. Instead, I focus on the things I can control (working hard everyday, helping others better themselves, sharing my journey, and finding the positive in every situation, even if it means digging really, really deep within). Crazy things start to happen when you’re positive. Goals become clearer, sticking to a diet gets easier, you look better, and you attract more positivity. At that point, winning just becomes the icing on the cake!

10 Ways To Kill Your Appetite When Dieting

So, it’s not even close to the time of your next meal, but your hunger is rising! You can’t stop thinking about the chunky almond butter sitting in your fridge, the warm, filling oatmeal waiting for you in your pantry, the bbq flank steak dripping fresh off the grill… but there’s no way in hell you’re going to cheat or eat your meal early, because then your meals will be done at 7pm. You’ll be so screwed. What’s a dieter to do?

1) Coffee

This is always my go to before 6pm. I love a strong americano or freshly brewed drip. Yumm! It’s crazy how fast coffee kills my appetite.

2) Tea

Whenever I’m craving something sweet, I turn to Tazo’s delicious Blueberry Blossom. I add a packet of Splenda to it. Always hits the spot!

3) Water

I personally flavor my water with Crystal Light. I find that I can drink more and drink it faster. Win win situation!

Also, you can make popsicles using Crystal Light. These are great for hot summer days.

4) Brush your teeth and rinse with mouthwash

Wow, this works great! Plus you’ll have a super fresh, clean mouth

5) Get Busy

Many times, I find that I get the most hungry when I’m bored. So, do you have laundry to do? Call your mom, that’ll kill a good 30 minutes. Look through your progress photos and see how far you’ve come. Or even just surf through the rest of my blog! Don’t just sit around and think about how hungry you are, I promise, the hunger will just increase.

6) Chew Gum

This prep I haven’t been chewing a lot of gum. I found that it actually makes me hungrier and would sometimes make me bloated. For my first prep I was hooked. It helped me get through some rough days. Especially the dessert gums that are out.

7) Take a Nap

There are so many times that I get hungry when I am tired. Since you can’t fuel your body with food, re-energize yourself with a nap. Even if it’s just 20 minutes. You’ll wake up feeling better and it might almost be meal time!

8) Smell Something Delicious

Now, this might sound crazy, but smell is SO important to taste. On my way to work I always pass by a donut shop. Every time I stop right outside of it, close my eyes, and take a good 5 deep, long inhales. I can taste every part of that perfect, freshly made Old Fashioned Chocolate Donut. I’ve also done this with Nutella. I literally open the jar and shove my nose into it. It works wonders!

Next time your craving something, smell it.

9) Add Fiber To Your Meals

Fiber helps fill you up and keeps you satiated. I turn green veggies: asparagus, broccoli, kale, chard, spinach, etc. I always add one of these to every meal of mine.

10) Blog!

YES!!! I’ve killed about 45 minutes writing this, so guess what?! It’s time for meal #5!!!!

How I Walked In and Out Feeling Like a Winner!!!

Wow!!!! Last weekend was incredible. I WON 1ST PLACE IN CLASS C!!! I competed against 18 other beautiful girls.

Ok, now on to the juicy part of the journey. Everything about this prep felt right. My diet was on point. I WAS NEVER STARVING! I had carbs in every meal of mine, except for occasional zero carb days, I was only doing 30 minutes of steady state cardio, and my strength was almost the same as my off season.

Why?! How?! Well, I don’t know for sure, but I think it’s because I took a 1.5 year off season, lifted crazy heavy weights and always went HARD for my workouts, put on 10 pounds of muscle mass (my morning of the show weight went from 107 lbs to 117 lbs, same body fat), slowly increased my calories to increase my metabolism (I always stuck to my diet, only 1 cheat meal, even in the off season), and barely did cardio.

Don’t be afraid of getting a little soft, gaining weight, and taking time off from competing to make gains. I promise, you’ll get lean again and competitions aren’t going anywhere.

What else did I do?
– I visualized winning every single day.

– I made sure that when I worked out, no one out there could possibly be working harder than me.
– I practiced posing ALL THE TIME. Even when standing in the kitchen prepping food.

– I promised myself that I would present a totally different package (hair, makeup, posing, suit) to the stage.
– Lastly, and probably one of the most important things, I didn’t look around or compare myself to the girls that day. I kept to myself, focused on my goal, repeated to myself…Either I have it today, or I don’t. I’m going to present all the hours of hard work, every single perfect meal, and every thought about winning on this stage. There is no point in even getting nervous… I kid you not, I never got nervous that day. Everything was out of my hands and I felt so relaxed and confident.

I walked in and out feeling like a winner!

It’s so important to make numerous goals when getting ready for a show. Some of mine were:
– To put on muscle mass, especially on my lower half

– Control my mood swings
– Not cheat (unless it’s a planned weekly cheat meal)
– Keep a very positive attitude
– Give my workouts my all
– Not compare myself to other girls, which lead to me going Instagram free for the last 4 weeks of my prep.
-Learn to ride the wave. Some days would be easier than others.
– Really, truly believe in myself

When you establish goals to get you through your prep and you succeed with them, it’s hard to not walk into show day feeling like a winner.