FIT TO SHINE: Dara the Figure Competitor Part 2

The competition was in mid-August, and I flew back to Tampa at the beginning of the month to see my coach, Tim, and get prepared. Truthfully, I think Tim was shocked by how "good" I looked. Some people had warned me that the week before the competition, I would have to cut my calories and water intake drastically. Well I didn't. To be honest, I think I was competition-ready ahead of schedule, so I didn't have to make any major changes. In some ways that was gratifying, but in some ways I was annoyed. I hated how tough the workout and nutrition regimen were, so I wondered if I was already in the right shape, did I really need ALL 12 WEEKS of the preparation period? I would have gladly cut off a week or two.

The day before the competition, I had to prep my skin with a self-tanner, and also get professionally spray tanned. The lady spraying me commented that my skin takes really well to the tanner. She was right. I didn't look tan. I looked like I was an entirely different race! I couldn't believe I had to go out in public looking like the way I did. It makes me laugh as I type this. You'll know why when you see the pictures below : )

As it turns out, I won the competition. I won the "short" division and then went on to win first in the figure competition overall. It was extremely gratifying and I was very proud of myself for the hard work and discipline. I never thought I could be so disciplined with my diet. And it did feel wonderful to be "good" at something again. I hadn't felt that high in such a long time. Was it all worth it though? I'm still not sure.

Tim, my coach, tells me that my next competition was in two weeks. I was completely unprepared for that revelation. I thought MAYBE I would do another one in a few months. I know it makes sense to do one sooner, since you are already in such great shape, but I was so ready to LET LOOSE! But reluctantly, I agreed. Tim really believed I could go "pro" in a very short period of time and from there get in to fitness modeling, which I really did want to do.

To make a long story short, I didn't win or even place at the next competition. Tim thinks I got lost in the shuffle, but admittedly I didn't look AS good. However, I have to believe that God was at work because the girl who won the second competition, I had beat in the first competition! It's hard to believe I would have changed that drastically in just two weeks to not even place. Had I done well again, I probably would have continued to pursue it and I'm just not sure that would have been what was best for me.

To learn more about how my body responded after this extreme lifestyle, stay tuned for

Part 3.