Losing weight can be an extremely difficult task. Whether you have lots of children or a busy work schedule, to be successful at weight loss takes a certain amount of will and determination. 

To take fat loss to its extreme and compete in a bodybuilding contest, while at the same time taking care of four children and managing a demanding career, some people might say that this is down right impossible!

That’s why we were so impressed when we met Jen Heath. Not only has she done the impossible by competing and winning a bodybuilding contest, but she did it after giving birth to twins!

After her pregnancy, Jen weighed 195 lbs at over 30% body fat. From that starting point, she was able to shed over 70 pounds of fat and cut all the way down to 123 lbs at under 7% body fat. She won her first bodybuilding contest and became a professional bodybuilder! 

We caught up with Jen and asked her about her about giving birth to twins, the long road back to fitness and what it’s like to compete in a Bodybuilding contest.

grrl: On your website www.jenheath.com, you mention that during your latest pregnancy your weight increased up to 190 pounds. I know that it can be very difficult for women to cope with this type of weight gain, even though they know that most of the weight is due to their pregnancy. Did you have any special ways to help you deal with the weight?

Jen: I was at a top weight of 195lbs. I knew that weight gain with twins would be more, but 195lbs was a lot. I was only 7 months when I delivered as well. I can only imagine how much more I would have gained if I had carried them full term.

One way which I "coped" with the weight was to remind myself during that time WHY the weight was there. Blood volume, baby, added body fat, etc... Believe it or not, much of the extra weight during this particular pregnancy was due to the fact that I did "eat for three" (mom, and twins!) - This "habit of eating for more than one person" is an overrated habit that I got into when I was pregnant with my twins. I didn't NEED to "eat for three". Most pregnant women eat way too much to sustain a pregnancy. It is a lesson I learned the hard way!  In reality, a normal pregnancy only requires 300 additional calories and this is mostly in the latter part of the pregnancy.

I did indulge in additional foods, which were not necessary from a standpoint of sustaining the pregnancy. I had to tell myself that the added fat beyond what was essential was my responsibility.  

After the twins were born, I had major stress. Taking care of those four little kids was intense and draining. I did not have time to think about the weight. It did bug me, but I knew that I would take the time to get it off once my body was ready to handle training again.

What I DID do was eat and drink like a horse and forced my body to produce a lot of breast milk (supply and demand).

I did prepare to shed fat in one way though. While I was eating all that food, I made it clean food. I just ate the foods that I knew I would be eating when I started hitting the gym again, so that my body would be ready for it when the time came. There is a time and place for everything. Simply knowing when is and when is not a good time to shed fat can make the difference in succeeding or not.

grrl: Once you had the twins and decided it was time to get back in shape, what was the hardest part about getting started?

Jen: For me, that hardest part is swallowing the fact that after having babies, the body generally just isn't ready for intense heavy weight training.

I have found more success and adherence to consistent training…if my training is cardiovascularly dominant. It honestly just takes the body a while to let go of weird hormone levels and for joint and ligaments to tighten back up. Patience was key...and eventually, when my body was ready for it, the heavy lifting came back better and stronger than ever. 

grrl: So after giving birth to twins, and slowly working your way back to the gym you decided that on top of taking care of your children you were also going to do a bodybuilding contest. Can you tell us what drove you to decide to do a bodybuilding contest, what was your ultimate goal, and mentally how did preparing for a bodybuilding show change your approach to working out?

What drove me to do the bodybuilding contest was the challenge of it. I had already dropped my body fat down to 15% on my own without even trying and that was uncovering what one person referred to as a ‘gifted bodybuilder physique’...whether that's true or not is always in the eye of the beholder! However, it was enough to motivate me to go for the challenge (and it was!)

My ultimate goal involved a hope that there would be five women competing in my first show, and that I would win my PRO card at my first competition. The likely hood of that was slim, because there are rarely ever 5 women in bodybuilding class around here, but when 5 women showed up, the hope was strong. I went out and did my absolute best, and got it!

Preparing for a bodybuilding show changed my perspective about training in that I had a new and solid appreciation of just how much progress I could make by training smart in conjunction with a well-designed diet. Results can come so much faster than most people think, even to the point of a mother of four kids reducing her body fat below 7% for a bodybuilding show. I appreciate so much more, now, that periodization has a purpose and that if you want the most out of your training, it is wise to have a plan!

grrl:  What was the most important thing you learned while preparing for   your first Bodybuilding show?

I learned a lot of things, but one of the most important things I learned was that it isn't necessarily good to DIET every day while preparing for a show. Periodizing your training for muscle maintenance/gain vs. fat loss is an art. So many people blindly cut all calories and do a million hours of cardio to get ready for a show. It just isn't necessary.

grrl: I totally agree with you on this point. So many people just decide that they want to lose weight, so they just start 'dieting and doing cardio' without any real game plan.  How did you periodize your training, and what types of periodization do you now recommend for the women that you currently train"

Jen: For me I have found that one of the most important factors in staying lean is the MAINTENANCE and/or increase of muscle mass. Blindly cutting calories and losing precious muscle tissue is what causes yo-yo dieters and competitors to actually gain more fat over time.

I have found enormous success in getting lean simply by eating more calories and carbs on weight training days and less calories and carbs on cardio or rest days. I got shredded doing this. I was able to continually decrease my calories on the days that I was shedding fat or resting, and religiously ate more food on lifting days.

As far as the women I train now, I use that general scheme with many of them, particularly the ones who are not terribly overweight, but want to get stronger and more lean over time. For a client that comes to me considerably overweight, a large caloric deficit straight across the board is acceptable regardless of the training scheme.

However, nothing is set in stone. There is always someone whose circumstances merit something other than what I have described. It just depends on the individual!

grrl: Thanks so much for your time Jen, do you have any last comments about your transition from being a mother of twin babies to becoming a champion bodybuilder?

I just would like to say that it was challenging and rewarding. I worked hard and accomplished what I set out to do. I know that others can accomplish their goals because if it. There is no goal not worth fighting for! It doesn't mean you have to get ripped, but becoming healthier and more lean is not only possible, but FUN and REWARDING!