Age: 38, Mother, Aesthetician
I’m a sucker for success stories. I always wanted to be one and now I feel like I am.
I tried my fair share of “diets”
I was never really “overweight” or “out-of-shape”, but I always held about an extra 10 lbs of fat. I’ve been active since Junior High and watched what I ate through my 20’s, but I never had the chiseled body I always dreamed of. I had tried my fair share of “diets” and had purchased far too many of those infomercial DVD workout plans, hoping to become one of those success stories that I saw on TV, but I never came close. Now, collecting dust on a shelf sits Zumba®, Brazilian Butt Lift®, Butt Bible, and Windsor Pilates® DVDs to name a few!
Nothing worked for me
For the last two or so years I thought about training to compete in a bikini competition. It looked like fun and I thought it would be a great goal to keep me motivated. I tested different diets and workout plans, but nothing worked for me. The last one I tried only lasted about five months and all I had to show for it was ONE pound lost! I ate very low fat, every meal was “clean” and I was on point. I followed the workout plans as well which had me in the gym for over two hours a day, but I was still getting nowhere. I was always hungry, tired, and irritable. It was taking a toll on my family and social life. Who wanted to hang out with me? I didn’t even want to hang out with myself! I didn’t like who I was being. Especially since I didn’t really have anything to show for it.
In order to change my body, I would need to change how I thought about food
In the beginning of June, 2013 a client of mine, who had done a few bikini competitions, came over to my house. I told her that I was planning to compete and she asked to look at my diet. She said, “Jill, you need to eat more fat” and I of course gasped at the sound of that. What do you mean more fat?
That night I scoured the internet for “bikini competition diets eating fat” and that is when I found The Carb Nite Solution®. I was intrigued. I researched it all weekend and of course, it sounded too good to be true. It was hard to believe that eating a lot of fat and then gorging on carbs once a week was going to help me loose fat! But at that point I figured, what do I have to lose? I opened my mind and knew that in order to change my body, I would need to change how I thought about food. So, I bravely did the opposite of the standard “diet” and ordered the book. I remember the first time I went to the store to purchase my food for the first week – I just about had a heart attack as the cashier rang up my heavy whipping cream and butter! I kept saying to myself, “trust the process and stick to the NEW plan.” My first meal was ultra low-carb pancakes and a side of bacon! I was hooked and started making everything in the book and freezing the food. Guess what? I felt AMAZING! No headaches, a ton of energy and I was actually happy! Within the first four weeks, my clothes started feeling loose. And to my surprise, my gym workouts actually improved. I did a pull-up for the first time! Wahoo!
I felt so much better and saw far more results than I had with past diets
During that first month I became obsessed with everything Carb Nite – forums, podcasts, articles. Anything that mentioned Carb Nite I read! That’s when I came across a podcast with Alex Navarro and Sharon Polsky discussing their contest prep journeys. I knew I needed a coach, but because Carb Nite was newer at the time and very unconventional, I could not find a Coach or trainer that supported this way of eating. And I wasn’t willing to change what I was doing because I felt so much better and saw far more results than I had with past diets. After listening to that podcast again I knew I needed to contact Alex. We had our first consultation call and she agreed to take me on as a client. Luckily, I had some experience with doing Carb Nite on my own and had even done my fair share of Shockwave Protocol training, so all I needed was some tweaking.
I was blown away with my body transformation and loved seeing my abs
I started working with Alex in July of 2013 and went from 23% body fat to 16-17%. In December of 2013 I started seriously training for my first bikini competition. The process was smooth and manageable and I stepped on stage for the first time on April 26th, 2014 at a WBFF (World Beauty Fitness & Fashion Inc.) show. I was blown away with my body transformation and loved seeing my abs! Now, as a 38 year old mom I’ve never felt nor looked better! I swear I have the body of or better than a fit and and healthy 20 year old!
The Carb Nite Solution® is my lifestyle now
Even after the competition, when I was allowed to eat more, I was looking forward to getting back to my Carb Nite plan. It’s hard to imagine not eating this way and since the release of the Transforming Recipes Cookbook I now have so many delicious recipes to help fuel my ultra low-carb days. I cannot wait to see what else I can do with this body!
If you have a similar story you’d like to share and would like to be featured on our website, please email your story along with photos and video links to transformations@fitlivingfoodies.com.
Alex Navarro has helped numerous clients just like Jill, step on that competition stage. If you’re interested in a consultation, whether it be contest prep or fat loss goals, please visit our Consultations page.
