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IFBB Fitness Pro Kristin Gomes Reveals Her Fat Loss Tips
By admin | August 4, 2008
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing IFBB Fitness Pro Kristin Gomes.
Despite the fact that she abandoned me in New Jersey for the warmth and sunshine of Florida, I’m still publishing the interview (for you rumor mongers, she didn’t really abandon ME, we just both happened to be from New Jersey).
Kristin, I know that when you first joined a gym, you had no intention of competing or even building muscle.
Yet now you are an IFBB Pro Figure Competitor. First, congratulations!
Second, how did you get started in fitness personally and what made you decide to pursue it, not only to get “toned” as you put it but to compete?
Kristin: Yes, that is correct. No intentions what so ever to compete.
I was a very timid and shy gal so if someone would have told me 5 years ago that I would compete, I never would have believed them!
I started training with a local trainer and he was a bodybuilder and trained a lot of local people for local shows.
He convinced me to try my first show, The Florida State in 2004 and I won my class! I was hooked!
2) How long did it take you to get to where you are now, and what would you say to our readers who are already tired and frustrated and just want to finally “get in shape”?
Kristin: I trained for one year before I did my first figure competition and I competed for two years before I turned Pro.
I competed in 3 state shows before I competed at a national level and then competed in three national level shows turning Pro at my third national show, The USA’s in 2006.
I set a goal of turning Pro in 2006 and I worked my tail off in the gym to get my physique where it needed to be so I was so pleased when I got my Pro card.
The one word of advice that I can offer is “patience”.
You have to have patience because it isn’t something that happens over night.
It takes time to see results so because of this so many people get frustrated because they think that they should lose 20 pounds in two weeks.
And when this does not happen, they stop eating properly and give up.
So my advice is to hang in there and persevere through it as the results WILL come.
3) One thing I’d like for you to address because I feel it’s a big one with women, is weight training.
Even nowadays, a lot of women shy away from weight training because they don’t want to look like Arnold.
If they train at all, it’s with the tiny pink weights and they never even break a sweat.
You’ve developed a gorgeous, sexy, lean, hard body and you couldn’t have done it without weights.
What do you say to these women to get them to not just train with weights but train hard and make it an important part of their overall program?
Kristin: This was me four years ago so I can completely relate to this.
When I first hired this bodybuilder trainer to get me into shape, I said to him, “I just want to tone up. I do not want muscles!”
He assured me that no matter how much weight I lifted I would not get big muscles because I am a woman and it is very difficult for a woman to put muscle on.
The funny thing is, I try to lift as heavy as I can now to put muscle on and I cannot and it is taking so long to get my muscles to build up where they need to be for me to compete well at the Pro level.
So, with that said, adding muscle is not an easy thing to do so all you women out there…. it is safe to move from the girlie pink weights and move to the boys racks!
4) What advice would you give to someone who’s brand-new to the fight to get and stay in shape and struggling to stick to a proper nutrition and exercise program?
Kristin: The biggest thing with anything in life is building the habit.
Once you have built the habit and gotten into a routine, it will be second nature.
The first step is to write down on a little pad that you can fit into your purse, everything that you ate for that day.
Then go back and review what your current eating habits are. You may be shocked.
Then, I recommend seeking out a nutritionist or a trainer that specializing in competitors if you’re looking to compete.
Nutrition is so different for each individual and it also depends on the foods that you like because you want to have something customized for you with foods that you will enjoy.
Because lets face it, if you hate everything that you are eating, you will not stick to your plan.
The next step after you get your nutrition program is to hire a trainer. If you cannot afford a trainer multiple times per week, that is okay.
Just hire one for a one time session.
Maybe a two hour session to put together a full body, simple work out that you can put onto a pad and then you can go on your own and follow your training program just by following your notes.
5) What’s the biggest mistake you made when you started and how did you correct it?
Kristin: The biggest mistake that I made was my dieting when I first started competing.
My carbs were cut to zero about 8 weeks out from a show and I was exhausted and not a happy camper. My poor husband (Editor’s Note: Sorry, guys)!
I hired Nutritionist and Trainer, Kim Oddo, who specializes in Figure competitors and my dieting was so much more pleasant!
6) What do you think is the most important thing or skill you’ve learned with regard to health and fitness?
Kristin: The most important thing that I have learned is to be creative.
Eating healthy doesn’t have to taste disgusting.
There are so many delicious recipes out there!
I’ve learned so much just by talking with the other competitors back stage and we exchange recipes and it is so wonderful!
7) What are some common pitfalls you feel people can stumble upon and how do you help them avoid these obstacles?
Kristin: Some common pitfalls people make are not eating enough.
Some people think the less they eat, the more weight they will lose. Not true!
I was eating 8-9 times a day up until the Colorado Pro.
Now everyone is different but people should be eating 5-8 small meals a day to keep their metabolism active.
Moving forward and knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently with your own journey, if anything?
Kristin: Honestly, I don’t think that I would change a thing.
I have worked with several different trainers and everyone has different methods.
I have learned something from each trainer that I have worked with.
I just had to go through a few to get to the one trainer that has a program that works best for me and I am so glad that I have found Kim.
9) Do you feel that ongoing feedback and motivational tools would help in maintaining a fitness program?
I always encourage my clients to take pictures periodically.
Kristin: Absolutely! Not only the motivation, the accountability!
People need to be held accountable and almost babysat if you will when it comes to dieting.
Take it from me because I am your average person. I love to eat! I love sweets!
I have a major issue with this and I struggle with the diet just like everyone out there.
I have to send emails with photos to my trainer and then have a conference call to discuss how I look.
If I look like crap, I dread those calls. I am scared to death to call in because I know that he will know that I cheated and ate that carrot cake.
So, knowing that I have to look at myself and email a photo, the accountability is there.
10) If you were to advise a close friend or family member how to follow in your fitness footsteps, what would you tell them?
Kristin: Considering that my family, friends and co-workers all think that I am crazy, I don’t think that I will ever be in this position.
But, I would tell then just as I would tell anyone….train hard, eat clean and if you compete, do it to have fun!
11) The most common excuse I hear from people who don’t eat right or train is that they don’t have the time.
You’re a manager and vice president of a bank, so you have the same “time” problem as other working people.
You’re also a professional figure competitor so the time you dedicate to nutrition and training has to be more disciplined than most.
What advice do you have for people who use ‘lack of time’ as an excuse to eat poorly and avoid exercise?
What’s a typical day for you when it comes to training and nutrition? How are you able to consistently fit them into your busy schedule?
Kristin: I hear that all of the time. I don’t have the time either but I make it a priority so I make the time.
I am actually a Small Business Lender-Vice President for the bank now which is still time consuming as my average work week is at least 45-50 hours.
I live every day on a schedule. I go as far as scheduling in my cardio in my planner.
I set my time to be at the gym by 7pm each night so I try not to work past 6-6:30pm.
I do not usually get home until 9pm at night and then I spend an hour preparing all of my food.
During the week is tight but then weekends I have to myself to spend with my husband and do fun things.
People have to just analyze their day and see when they have down time to schedule a few days in the gym.
All you need is one hour per day a few days a week to get into shape.
For the first year that I was training, I only trained three days a week.
The time is there, you just have to make it a priority and schedule it.
12) What do you think are the keys to becoming successful, whether it’s competing or just losing 15 pounds?
Kristin: Drive, determination, motivation, and patience
13) What’s one of the things you find most challenging about what you do?
Kristin: The most challenging thing for me is juggling my career with competing.
It is a tough schedule and I do get tired and sometimes do not want to go to the gym.
Yes, I have those days too. But I drag myself in and I push myself to work hard.
14) Competing means you have a specific deadline where you have to be in top shape. You can’t slack off when training for a show.
What advice can you give to people who don’t have some sort of deadline, such as a photo shoot or competition, that they can use as motivation to help keep them on track?
Kristin: Well, if anyone out there is like me, I have to have a goal with everything that I do in life or I just do not stick to things.
I like competing because then I do have a reason to diet and stay in shape.
If you do not compete, challenge yourself.
If you want to lose 20 pounds in 6 months, set that goal, make a chart and weigh yourself every week and track your weekly progress on your chart.
Take digital photos of yourself to monitor your changes. I am telling you… it is eye opening to see a digital photo of yourself.
That will make you say NO to that carrot cake. As you can tell, I love carrot cake. It is my weakness.
15) LOL! Got ya. If I want a friend to win a show you’re in, send you some carrot cake. Check.
What are your future plans?
Kristin: As far as upcoming competitions, I think that I am most likely going to do The Atlantic City Pro in September (Editor’s Note: When I have Kristin’s results, I’ll update this).
I wanted to do that show as a warm up for The Palm Beach Pro in October that I am doing and also, a have a lot of family in Jersey since that is where I am from originally.
So, it would be nice if they could come see me compete. I hope to one day qualify for the Olympia. That is my goal.
I just want to tell everyone out there, whatever your fitness and health goal’s are out there, you CAN achieve it.
And once you do get there, there is no other feeling that self reward out there.
So stick to it and strive to reach your goals.
You can learn more about Kristin at her web site, KristinGomes.com
Topics: Fitness Models |