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I always envied the fit girls who could wear cute 'n sexy bikinis to the beach while I avoided the beach at all costs.
Name: Christine Dobrocky
Throughout my entire teenage years I was that chubby girl. Although I was active I never was concerned with what I fed my body. As I entered my first year of university things only got worse. Life for me was living off of cafeteria food and binge drinking. As my studies took over my life my physical activity slowly started to become less of a priority for me.
  Click Image To Enlarge. I Wasn't Concerned With What I Fed Myself. I had asked a boy out for a coffee to only find out he had told his friends he'd never want to be seen with flipper in public (a nickname they had for me). Hey, at least they picked a smart animal - thanks boys! Sad to say that this was the turning point for me. I realized how unattractive I was to boys, but more importantly how unhealthy I was. The next day I purchased my first ever fitness magazine - Oxygen - and surfed the net to find BB.com. Both sources of information got me started in the right direction and continue to motivate me and teach me a lot about diet and training. From that day forward I told myself I would do anything to be a fitness girl... and that is exactly what I did.
After reading magazine articles and articles on BB.com one thing became obvious to me - I needed to change my eating habits BIG time! It took me a long time to understand and realize how eating smaller portions more consistently throughout the day would kick start my weight loss. In the beginning I was naïve and thought starvation was the answer - I was wrong. I started to gain more weight - my size 34 waist slowly crept up to a size 38 and the scale kept increasing in numbers as well. I wanted to hire a professional to help me, but being on a student budget that wasn't an option for me. So instead I looked into workshops and seminars at the gym I had joined. It was in February of 2005 that I met my now good friend and fitness role model, Stephanie Worsfold. Throughout her entire seminar she taught me about nutrition, supplementation and gave me the motivation and confidence to start my own journey into the fitness world. She's the one who got me started into a new lifestyle and continues to help motivate me on a daily basis. Without Steph I wouldn't be where I am today!
 Click Image To Enlarge. Stephanie & I.
After having successfully lost a solid 30 lbs, this new lifestyle was becoming very addicting to me. I wanted something I could work towards that would challenge me. I started a new job at a local supplement store to expand my knowledge on supplementation and later continued to do supplement demos at bodybuilding/fitness shows. After working at a show I knew I had what it takes to get on that stage. I set a date and started to prep for my first ever figure competition - May 27th 2006.
I began dieting and training 20 weeks before the show date to ensure I gave my body enough time to lose weight and be contest ready in the healthiest way possible. This is me at the beginning of my contest prep weighing 146lbs and 18% body fat.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Beginning Of Contest Prep.
As before my contest prep I continued to get 5-6 meals each day to keep my metabolism high throughout the day (I can't stress how important this is for anyone wanting to lose weight). I did however eliminate certain foods for my contest prep (fruits, dairy, red meat, wheat products).
 Click Image To Enlarge. I Did Eliminate Certain Foods For My Contest Prep.
These were my basic meals, but I did change the order of them depending on my training and activity levels throughout the day. This is what worked best for me... experiment with what you like and see what works best for you... every body is different but listen to your body it knows best!
 Click Image To Enlarge. My Supplementation Helped A Great Deal.
My training didn't change too much from before my contest prep to the end with the exception of increasing cardio and doing 6 am cardio (fun!). Typical week at the gym for me: I like to keep reps high and go to failure for maximum muscle strength and building.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Dumbbell Curls.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Donkey Calf Raise. Videos: Windows Media (258 KB) - MPEG (1.8 MB) - Video iPod (253 KB)
Saturday and Sundays were "active rests" I would just mainly do outdoor activities or do cardio in the gym.
If you really want something bad enough you will find a way to accomplish it. When things may seem impossible look at it as a challenge and in the end the reward is priceless. Surround yourself with only positive people. Ignore any negative comments or people who don't support you. Whether you are looking to compete or just wanting to lead a healthy lifestyle believe in yourself and anything is possible.
Click Image To Enlarge. Believe In Yourself & Anything Is Possible.
After doing my first figure show I have the competition bug. I will do another show in the future but need some time to do some hard work in the gym. Genetically I have well built legs (thanks mom and dad!) but need to focus more on my shoulders/arms/back. Once I feel I have improved this area of my physique I will hit the stage again. Until then I want to pursue some fitness modeling. At my first show I had a photographer take some pictures and loved the whole experience!
 Click Image To Enlarge. I've Got The Competition Bug Now!
 Click Image To Enlarge. Thanks Everyone!
Christine Dobrocky Recommend this article to a friend by e-mail here! Visitor Reviews Of This Article!
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