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Before:
140 lbs
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After:
117 lbs
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Vital Stats
Name: Lara Bross
Email: lara.bross@comcast.net
Before:
Weight: 140 lbs
Body Fat: 32%
After:
Weight: 117 lbs
Body Fat: approx. 10%
Why I Got Started
It was after my son's birth and I was feeling like I had gotten a bit soft. Then, my mom and everyone on her side of the family suddenly started having health problems. My risk factors for some of these health problems, due to family history, startled me into thinking that I was a ticking time bomb.
To top it off, my husband remarked that my butt was getting big! When I had my body fat measured and my "Before" picture taken and shown to me, I realized I HAD to do something. I knew I had gotten soft but I really had no idea that I was overweight and out of shape.
How I Did It
I got a personal trainer and started making exercise a habit. After six months though, I noticed I wasn't really seeing much of a change. It was only when I took charge of my diet and cut out processed foods, lowered my carbohydrates, and increased my protein did I see my body begin to change. I lost most of the weight in the next six months and I started building muscle and I liked how it looked.
I had always dreamed of competing but never thought I'd really be able to. Once I dropped my weight, I started thinking about it more. I checked out a show and I was hooked. Around this time, we nearly lost my mother (at 60!) and I started thinking life is just too short. I knew if I was ever going to do it, the time had come.
While training for competition, I surprisingly found that the affects of having tangible goals and feeling great physically, spilled over into other parts of my life: I found self-determination and passion for life - I was smiling and joking more, I was more organized, etc. This discovery helped me decide others could benefit from this spillover effect, so I got certified as Personal Trainer last year.
Click To Enlarge.
Lara Bross.
In Sept of '05, I tore my ACL and had back-to-back surgeries for my ACL and a hernia repair. Once I recovered from the surgeries, I started training with IFBB pro, Rashid "Roc" Shabazz. With Roc's help and lots of hard work and dieting, I placed first in Master's class in August of '06 at the NPC Coastal show. I competed at the Jr. USA in '07 and hope to do one more national-level show with a Master's class this year.
Click To Enlarge.
Rashid "Roc" Shabazz.
Supplements
I use Isopure No Carb protein powder, glutamine, and Branched-Chain Amino Acids to help build muscle and also retain it when dieting for a show.
A Sample Week Of An Off-Season Diet
Meal 1: 7:30 AM
- 1/2 cup rolled oats, cooked with cinnamon and Splenda
- 3/4 cup liquid egg whites omelet
Meal 2: 10:30 AM
- 4 oz cooked chicken
- 1/2 c brown rice
Meal 3: 12:30 PM
Meal 4: 3PM
- 4 oz orange roughy
- 3 oz raw spinach
Meal 5: 5:30PM
Meal 6: 8:30 PM
- Homemade protein pudding "treat" (1 1/2 scoops of chocolate Isopure protein powder, 5 grams cocoa powder, 2 grams cinnamon, 4 grams sliced almonds, 6 teaspoons water, and 2 packets of Splenda. Freeze for an 2 hours and thaw for 10 minutes - Tastes like brownie batter!!)
Meal 7: 11PM
- 2 Tablespoons organic, no sodium peanut butter
A Sample Week Of Training
30 minutes of high-intensity, interval cardio 3 times a week - high intensity for 1 minute, low intensity for 1 minute, on step mill or treadmill.
Weight training 4 days a week, lots of supersets with little/no rest to keep the intensity cranked, broken down as follows:
Monday - Legs/Abs:
Tuesday - Chest & Arms:
Wednesday - Cardio Only:
Thursday - Shoulders/Back/Abs:
Friday - Legs/Abs:
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - Cardio Only
Suggestions For Others
Consistency is key - you should not expect instant results, but if you keep at it the results will happen and you can reach your goals. Think of it like needlepoint - each stitch doesn't add much, but over time you will see a bigger picture starting to emerge.
Clean up the diet! The biggest factor to changing your body's appearance is DIET. You can work out all you want, but you won't see the muscle if it is covered by a layer of fat. Eating clean and eating often supports a healthy metabolism and puts you in fat loss mode!
A positive mental attitude affects everything!! Stress can mess up all your hard work, so make sure to find ways to keep it maintained. Take it one minute/one rep at a time when things get hard. Make sure to SMILE and have FUN!
