Why I decided to transform
I always had issues with my weight. I was too heavy, and then I suffered from anorexia. When I was in 6th grade I topped the scales at more than 200 pounds. I spent the summer in California with my wheatgrass crazed aunt, and she put me on the Zone Diet. I came home almost 60 pounds lighter! Yes! I lost two pounds every day. It was wonderful!
Once home, I was lost without her. This led to binge-eating, then starving, and over exercising. This vicious cycle continued through and long after high school and college. I played Division-III collegiate basketball, but lived off booze and diet pills to stay thin. I eventually destroyed my gastrointestinal system, which led me to become a RAW vegan. My weight plummeted. I weighed the same I do now, but was skinny fat. I lived off fruit, veggies, and kombucha.
I always worked out a little too excessively. After college I taught group classes like step, power, and kickboxing. I avoided the weight room at all costs. I thought cardio was the only way to stay skinny, to keep my jean size in the single digits. Eventually my crazy eating habits and excessive cardio caught up with me.
My boyfriend and I moved to Portland, Oregon, so I could finish graduate school, and my health just fell apart. I was diagnosed with depression and my thyroid completely gave out on me. I suffered a lot of heartache. I was confused about who I was and whether I would ever find normalcy. I binged, purged, drank excessively, and was depressed. My hypothyroidism reached the point where I went partially bald. I gained 60 pounds in less than a year.
We moved home so I could get healthy, but it didn't help. I was more depressed than ever. I binged non-stop, tried a new diet every week, and doubled up on fat burners. I hated myself, and it showed on how I treated my body.
My Turning Point
In November 2011, I finally had enough. I joined a competition team, Team Edge. I sent the pictures and was bawling, thinking the coaches looked at them laughing their asses off. But they didn't. They believed in me, trusted me, and showed me that I had the determination and self-discipline to become the best version of myself.
After 22 weeks of prepping with Team Edge, I stepped on stage April 26, 2014, at 149 pounds and 12% body fat. I placed 8th out of a tough class of 26 girls!
I am now a personal trainer and group fitness instructor. I put in 12-15 hour days, sometimes weekends. I am in the gym at 3:30-4 a.m. for morning cardio. I missed one weight workout in my prep due to the stomach flu, and one cardio session because we were traveling. In 22 weeks, I deviated from my plan just three times.
I am finally off all anti-depressants and hypothyroid meds. My hair no longer falls out. I function on 4-5 hours of sleep. My digestion is that of a normal human being. I now know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things I want to see happen. Manifest your reality.
Everything is energy and that's all there is to it. Match the frequency to the reality you want, and you cannot help but reach that reality. It can be no other way. And once you reach that goal, refuse to settle. Whatever got you to where you are today is not enough to keep you there.
I inspired people around me to get healthy, and showed that through hard work and persistence, anything is possible. I had friends who decided they want to compete, and also joined Team Edge. I documented my journey via Instagram and other social media sites, and gained such an incredible following; people cheer for me, and tell me that my story inspires them. The day of my show, I had 47 people come support me!
How I accomplished my goals
I told myself there would be no excuses. I sucked it up and muscled through both the mental and physical challenges. I just refused to give myself any other choice but to follow my plan.
There was never a time during my 22-week prep where I wanted to quit. I was so focused on my goal and knew that every day counted; even missing one day or skimping my cardio by a few minutes may have separated me from the other girls. I dug deep inside myself to find the strong, persistent girl who was always hiding inside. I had the incredible support of my team and coaches. We have a private Facebook forum where we can throw questions or concerns. My coaches, Ingrid and Joe, are always available via text or email as well, and are nothing but honest and open with their girls. It helps to have the support.
What aspect challenged me the most
The hardest part of my transformation was not the meal prepping or the nutrition, but the working out. Since I am a personal trainer and group fitness instructor, I work odd hours, workout a lot, am in the gym 12-15 hours per day, and teach classes daily. There were days where I had to get up at 3 a.m. to get my workout in because I had 14 clients back-to-back.
I found it hard to motivate myself, after spending hours motivating others. I felt gassed and exhausted. But I knew the goal I wanted to accomplish. I knew I had people rooting for me, and I didn't give myself a choice.
When the time came to work out, I just did it. I didn't focus on how long it would take me, how nice a hot shower was going to feel, or how I couldn't wait for my post-workout meal. I held my tunnel vision and powered through.
My future fitness plans
I am currently reverse-dieting to make my metabolism and body stronger than ever. I will then start prepping for my next show, which will be the NPC Badger State in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, October 18. I plan to come in even stronger and better than the girl I was before, or am now. I want to qualify for nationals and get to the West Coast where I can compete with Team Edge.
I just became sponsored by Prime Nutrition. I am excited and humbled to be able to represent such an amazing company, and use its products for my current offseason and next prep. I plan on working as hard as I can to continue to gain recognition for myself in this sport. I want to create an e-Book of all my recipes, which I post on my Instagram and Athlete page, and get back into modeling, on the fitness end of it.
Suggestions for aspiring transformers
All my life I have been on a journey to find my goal body or feel comfortable in my own skin. I'm 28 and finally found it. It was not without many failures along the way. You have to refuse to continue to lie down. You have to want it bad enough and fight your way to the top. Want it so bad that you give yourself one choice and one choice only: to succeed. Show up every day and give it 150%.
Yes, there will be days where you're tired and sick and just want a break. That's when you fight even harder. Those are the days and workouts which separate you from the rest of the pack. Don't think so hard about the end product. Instant gratification is pointless. Enjoy every day, minute, second of your journey. Instant gratification blinds us from our long-term potential.
Time passes no matter what: what you do with that time is in your hands and your hands alone. Time is so precious, and to waste it is a terrible thing. Live in each moment. Live with no regrets. Live as if you're on top of the world!
How Bodybuilding.com helped me reach my goals
Bodybuilding.com was phenomenal support. Whenever I felt a little stagnant in my workouts or wanted to add more exercises for a little change, I was able to jump online and find the best articles on training. I am a visual person. I look to myself for motivation, but it's always helpful to see the other Transformations of the Week, or the athletes who post their workouts and meals to show people that results last if you stick to the plan.
BodySpace was also incredibly helpful. As soon as I would post in a forum, or post a progress picture, or update stats, I would have immediate notifications from other BodySpace members encouraging me to continue my journey and to not look back.
Also, the contest that Bodybuilding.com put on was beyond motivating. I entered the $100K transformation and it made me want to push hard during prep.
Bianca's Top 5 Gym Tracks
- Disclosure Ft. Sam Smith, "Latch"
- La Roux, "In For The Kill"
- Skrillex and The Doors, "Breakn' A Sweat"
- Xavier Rudd, "Fortune Teller"
- Disco Fries ft. Jeremy Carr & Hyper Crush, "Heartbeat (Loopers Remix)"