Sylvia Barker on Nutrition...

 

There are many things that come into play when you are trying to compete in a bodybuilding contest. There are also many things that you must do and stay committed to in order to be successful and achieve your goals. Sylvia Barker has dedicated a great deal of her life to achieving her goals. Nutrition is said to be one of the most important components to a health body, and is also a very important aspect in building a show body. Sylvia had to plan out her meals accordingly, whether she was getting ready for competition or she was in the off-season. Sylvia said that dieting was one of the hardest things to deal with while getting ready for competitions.

“When you are dieting, you are totally irritable, it’s almost like you are on PMS mode the whole time.” –Sylvia Barker

Sylvia had to sacrifice many foods while competing and building her body up. There were many instances where she had to give up her favorite food because it would hinder her from reaching her goals. Although she finds family gatherings difficult, she stays tough and keeps to her nutrition schedule.

“I don’t just eat the hot dogs because they are right there.” –Sylvia Barker

 

Sylvia said that her greatest weakness would be food, she had to overcome difficult times and temptations while in training. It was hard for her to accompany her husband and family to restaurants because of the temptations and size of portions. Sylvia took nutrition very serious because she understood the importance. She has a number of tips that she takes into consideration when eating everyday, and even today while she is not competing:

 

“I want to participate in life, not be a spectator.” –Sylvia Barker

Tips from Sylvia:

• Experiment with caloric intake in order to determine the precise amount of calories that will give energy, while helping lose fat and gain muscle.
• Include include lean protein in every meal. Examples are: tuna, chicken, turkey, steak, and egg whites.
• Write down everything one eats in order to keep track of calories.
• Rather than eating bad fats, like chips and candy, eat fats from peanuts and egg yokes.
• Choose to eat things such as egg whites and veggies. One can even mix in things such as salsa, mustard or lemon pepper that have minimum calories but big taste.
• Drink a gallon or more of water each day.

Sylvia has made it trough six competitions without pumping drugs into her healthy body. Although, she has experimented with protein powders and vitamins. She has always tried to take natural energy from natural foods. She did not raise her children on mashed potatoes and bread; rather she has always tried to raise her children with lots of veggies and proteins, such as chicken.

“If your not willing to work off what you just ate, don’t eat it.” –Sylvia Barker