What eating a bodybuilder's diet has taught me about food

Ellen Manning, 41, a journalist from Warwickshire, set herself the challenge of transforming her physique for a bodybuilding competition, through intensive training and following an extreme diet. Here’s what she discovered…

"Ladies, a quarter turn to your right please…" The moment I’d been preparing for for months had finally come. As I wobbled on my heels, feeling lights shining down on me, I couldn't help but grin. Once upon a time, I wouldn’t have been comfortable standing in my underwear in front of a partner, yet there I was wearing a sparkly bikini on stage in front of hundreds of people at my first bodybuilding show.

I’ve lifted weights most of my adult life, after seeing my dad do it as I grew up. There’s something about getting strong that doesn’t just bring physical results, but works wonders for my mental health too.

Since January 2020, I’d trained religiously four times a week, working out in a gym my husband built in our garage and sticking to a plan drawn up by my coach – a friend who’s a bodybuilder but also a nutrition and eating behaviour coach.

I’d gone to Emily in 2020, at the age of 37, not only for an exercise programme, but for help with my relationship with food. I'd been strangely obsessed from an early age, poring over food magazines and recipes.

As the months went by, with Emily's guidance, I stopped being intimidated by food. I was no longer concerned that I couldn’t control how much I ate, or that I had a slightly unhealthy relationship with food, seeing it as a treat or a guilty passion. I began to take a more moderate approach with no more yoyo dieting – instead I trained hard, ate well and felt good.

Fitness inspiration

Over the years, I'd watched Emily and her husband prepare for bodybuilding shows. The couple, who have their own gym AW Muscle & Fitness in Macclesfield, would 'bulk' – going through a period of growing muscle and eating more to fuel that growth, then do what’s known as 'prep', committing to months of extreme dieting to show off their physique. I declared I could 'never do it' – I loved food too much – yet I was fascinated.

So in 2023, we agreed I’d give it a go. It would mean pushing to grow more muscle, then in January I would start a rigid food plan to shed as much body fat as possible ready to step on stage in May.

I was nervous – an extreme diet could derail the work I’d done to improve my relationship with food, not to mention putting myself through hugely challenging circumstances physically, mentally and emotionally.

But if I could do it, there would be so many benefits. Not just physical, but if I could find the confidence to stand on stage in a bikini, what else could possibly bother me? If I could test myself to the limit, surely I could achieve anything? And if I could sacrifice one of my big loves – food – for a limited period, perhaps it would finally mean I’d resolved my issues.

I spent the winter training hard and eating to fuel those workouts. I’d train four times a week and eat around 2,500-3,000 calories on a training day, with slightly less on a rest day. Just before Christmas, I weighed 66kg (just over 10 stone) – the heaviest I’d been for a while, but I was at ease. When I’d put on weight previously it was because I couldn’t control myself – this was the opposite, it was part of the plan.

An extreme diet

In January, I started my 'prep', where for the next five months, up to May 19th, I’d follow an extreme diet. Emily drew up a food plan of six meals a day, calculated to provide the right protein, carbohydrates and fats. Before I’d been fairly flexible in what I ate, eating a fairly high-protein diet but with freedom to choose what I liked and enjoy it. But this was rigid. No deviation, no flexibility.

Breakfasts were often egg whites, other meals were mainly chicken, occasionally salmon or lean minced beef, along with plenty of green veg and sometimes rice. I’d have oats, berries and protein powder before training, an occasional bagel, then Coco Pops and protein powder after. In the evening, I’d have a snack of berries, fat-free yoghurt and more protein powder. Alcohol was completely banned.

Every single element had to be weighed out, and I became a tupperware queen, carrying pre-prepared meals everywhere. Each week, I sent Emily videos of myself, and my weight and waist measurement, and she would adjust meals accordingly to reduce my calorie intake.

Over the ensuing five months, some things were removed while other things were gradually decreased. Egg yolks disappeared completely, as did minced beef, salmon and nut butter, while the amount of chicken in each meal was reduced.

My changing body

I still trained four times a week – two upper body and two leg sessions – mainly at home but also at a gym in my home town of Rugby, Warwickshire, and cardio was added into the mix – 20 minutes at a time at first, but later 40 or 50 minutes daily.

My weight dropped and my waist got smaller, as did my bust. I felt great at first, seeing my muscles emerge, but also less feminine. While I’d always craved abs, they came at the price of boobs and a bum, and the curves of a woman in her 40s.

As my food became more restricted, my energy dropped. My days had a long to-do list of gym, cardio and 15,000 steps, plus work and personal commitments. Yet instead of eating more to fuel my busy schedule, I was eating less, leaving me drained physically and mentally.

Some days I felt I couldn’t get up off the sofa, let alone anything else. My brain felt foggy and my mood unpredictable. My husband was unbelievably supportive. He wasn’t interested in doing anything like this but my decision was a big deal for both of us – it meant sacrificing our social life and putting our lives on hold for six months. In those few months he picked me up countless times, forgiving me when I was snappy and giving me a pep talk when I needed it most.

Competition day arrives

By May 19th – my first show – my weight was down to 55kg (8.5 stone) and I was eating far fewer calories – closer to 1,000 and occasionally slightly lower in the final weeks. Veins popped out of my arms, my face was gaunt, and my periods had stopped. But my physique looked as a bodybuilder should – each muscle clearly discernible, from rippling abs to a defined back. It was years of consistent training laid bare by months of dieting.

I looked great in bodybuilding terms yet felt far from it, and some friends voiced concerns. But I put my trust in Emily and our plan, and the knowledge that this state was just for a few weeks, then I’d get back to good health as quickly as possible.

The 24 hours before that first show was a whirlwind of tanning appointments, hair and makeup. Fatigue was replaced by excitement, nerves and pride. As I stepped onto stage, my smile said it all. I’d done something I never thought I could and challenged myself in so many ways.

I felt like a winner already, but was stunned to land second place in my class of seven women. It buoyed me for my second competition a week later – where I came first. In my final show another two weeks later I won my class again, finishing my bodybuilding 'season' on a high.

Since then, I’ve gradually increased what I eat to return to a healthy weight. I’ve got more energy, my curves are coming back and the lessons I've learned are unforgettable. Bodybuilding has taught me so much about myself and yes, finally put my issues with food to bed. I love food. It brings me joy, it’s how I socialise, it’s fuel, and it makes me feel great. But I’m no longer a slave to it. The days of 'not being able to help myself' are gone, and it’s something I control, not the other way round. And that’s a great place to be.

What I ate

All meals are eaten with as much green veg as you like. Permitted drinks include black coffee, diet drinks, two to three litres of water a day and sugar-free squash. No alcohol allowed.

Training day meals (four days a week)

7am - Egg whites

10am - Chicken breast and egg white

1pm - Oats, berries and protein powder (pre-workout)

3pm - Coco Pops and protein powder (post-workout)

5/6pm - Chicken

8pm - Fat-free Greek yoghurt, protein powder, berries and nut butter

Snacks - Sugar-free jellies and sugar-free energy drinks

Non-training day meals (three days a week)

7am - Egg whites

10am - Chicken

1pm - Chicken and rice

4pm - Chicken and egg white

6pm - Chicken

8pm - Fat-free Greek yoghurt, protein powder, berries and nut butter

Snacks - Sugar-free jellies and sugar-free energy drinks

If you need support with an eating disorder, visit the charity Beat on Beateatingdisorders.co.uk.

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