The Capital City was a big success for me. I accomplished my goal of showing up in my best ever condition! The three previous times I entered that show I was never in my best shape and it has bothered me that I never competed there at my best. I have vindicated myself with a great showing and placing first in the lightweight class. I also placed 2nd in the overall and many people felt I should have won but after looking at pictures I feel I lost a close decision due to size. I was a little disappointed but I realize I lost to an awesome natural bodybuilder and sometimes you can't win them all. I am not discouraged because in this sport it is all about timing. You may show up at one show and be the best or you can show up to another show and place 5th. It just depends on who shows up! This sport is about beating your previous best and that is what I did. I got to eat on Sunday and it was great! I ate more food than I probably should of but after 7 months of dieting I felt like I was a contestant on Survivor, starving!! I then ate more food on Monday and after I woke up on Tuesday I weighed in at 172 lbs. on my scale! I had gained 13lbs in two days! I went back on my diet Tuesday.Tuesday evening the head judge from the Capital City called and encouraged me to enter the INBF Washington State Natural. I tried to tell him I had gained too much weight but he insisted I could manage to drop it in time for the show which is on August 8. I told him I would think about it. On Wednesday morning I weighed in at 167 lbs a five pound drop in one day! After thinking about it during the day Wednesday I decided to enter the 2009 INBF Washington State Natural on August 8. I know I have a lot of catching up to do but I am highly motivated to work hard and get back in good shape. Thursday morning I weighed in at 164 lbs. and today I was 162lbs. but I still need to shed more weight. It is incredible how the body will gain weight in just two days of eating the wrong foods! It is hard to say if I can attain the same level of conditioning in the next two weeks but I sure will try to get there. I will just keep working hard in the gym and make sure I do my 60 minutes of cardio everyday. I may have to drop my carb intake more than I would like but it is necessary to achieve my goals. My goal weight for this show is 157-158lbs on my scale. At the Capital City I was 159 lbs on my scale. I will have to wait and see how everything goes. I am looking forward to the trip and meeting new competitors from a different state. I will keep posting my progress as I take this short journey to Washington! Until my next blog keep training hard and naturally!