Lifestyle Prior To Change
I ate out a ton. Ate a lot of processed foods, Hamburger Helper, Mac and Cheese, fried foods, drank 3 to 4 times a week, smoked a half pack of cigarettes a day. Did not exercise and did a lot of yo-yo dieting.
What was your turning point?
I was at a friend’s wedding when my ex-boyfriend’s father came up to me and told me I was fat. It was funny because though I knew I gained some weight no one was that blunt about it. I really was in denial about how far gone I was. I never was skinny but was always around 170's and a size 12.
What Was Your Exercise Plan?
At first I was the cardio queen. I just wanted to drop the weight and didn’t really know where to start and what machines I should use. Then I met a female bodybuilder and was fascinated by how much this tiny gal lifted. She rode a Harley Davidson and I thought she was just amazing. So I started mimicking her workouts, did a lot of benching, squats, deadlifts, and basically trained like a powerlifter. I loved it, and the weight started to go down.
What is your current training split and routine?
I love to lift! And love to lift heavy! I currently work with Shianne Behan for my training. She is a dual natural pro figure girl and has been one of my closest friends since my first competition. We change my training every 6 weeks. Right now we are doing a 5 day split. 2 days I focus on legs, 3 days are upper body. I am focusing on building my back and shoulders right now so I am doing a lot of deadlifts, pulldowns, pull-ups, military press, and hitting the deltoids. We are using a bunch of different rep schemes and supersets to shock my body for maximum results.
What Was Your Diet Plan?
I started by slowly eliminating processed foods, quit smoking, and kept drinking to once a month. I did a lot of the fad diets like Atkinson and the lower carb diets. In the end what worked for me was a diet of 6-7 small meals with good carbs like yams, potatoes, whole wheat breads and pasta, oatmeal, and brown rice, lots of fruits and veggies, healthy fats like salmon, almonds, natural peanut butter, olive oil and lean protein. I eat a lot of chicken, fish, and turkey. I am lactose intolerant so I can’t eat a dairy.
My overall heaviest weight was 218lbs and a size 18. My contest weight is 132lbs and a size 2. Out of season I stay between 140-154lbs, doing 8 week builds, 8 week cuts, size 6. I don’t want to get too far out of my range and end up having to lose 20lbs for show. But you need to gain a little weight to add muscle.
Current sample eating plan?
For the last six months I have been working with Layne Norton, arguably the best Whey protein shake with strawberries
What Supplements Did You Use?
My favorite line of supplements is Isagenix. It is an online wholesale company. They are all natural whey protein shakes, vitamins, electrolytes, and minerals. They even have dark chocolates. I have a ton of energy, no stress, and my body is getting everything it needs to be performing at an elite level. I also take Scivation Xtend, fatty oils, CLA, and ALA.
What Is Your Life Like Now?
I am a gym rat with my husband. Transforming and changing my life has given me the confidence to go after my dreams. I would never had left my family and hometown, had the drive to finish my education or have the marriage that I have. I wake up with a zest for life, sprint to the gym before work every morning. I am hitting weights before 5am most days. I do a full day at the office sometimes a 10 hour day and finish up with some cardio. Cardio is the time that I refocus and rid myself of the stress of the day. I go home relax and spend quality time with my family. Go to bed and then repeat. Fitness is my love, my passion, and I love helping and sharing with others my story and successes.
Advice for others
When you are unhappy with yourself, you are not a complete person. You need to make yourself a priority and stop making excuses just do it. Tomorrow may never come. We have a major epidemic in this country. Over 75% of Americans are overweight or obese, 1 in 3 kids born after 2000 will develop Type 2 diabetes. We have the power to change this, and we have to.
More From Tracy Fenske
If anyone would like more information about the Isagenix Line of Products, they can check out my website at tracyfenske.isagenix.com or email me at tfenske98@yahoo.com.
2 Comments
Thanks, I needed an inspirational story and a good "talking to". You are awesome!
Tracy, great job! You transformed your life and are another living proof that this can be done, with hard work and persistence. You continue to work hard to this day, day in and day out and that's what separates someone who wants this from someone who does not. What you said in your advice for others I connect with to a t. You have to feel good about who you are, and what you are doing to be a better person every day to feel whole, and on that note, to love someone else. Keep up the hard work, you are an inspiration to so many.