Personal trainer Sami Rose gains confidence after she quits body building

When Sami Rose started training for her first body building competition in 2014 her goal was to challenge herself and lose a few extra kilos.

At the time the 28-year-old personal trainer from Brisbane, Australia was undergoing a fitness and weight loss journey but wanted to push herself a little bit further.

‘I’ve always wanted abs and wanted to see what my body is capable of,’ the now 35-year-old told FEMAIL. 

But after a gruelling two years of competing in nine back-to-back competitions, Sami developed a negative relationship with food that impacted her happiness and social life. 

In 2014 Sami competed in her first body builder competition and lost 10kg. She would train both weights and cardio six days a week often with no rest day

She would train both weights and cardio six days a week often with no rest day – and the more shows she did the harder it became the lose weight.

‘I was obsessed – I was running myself into the ground with almost no breaks. I was doing more than what was prescribed because I wanted to do everything I possibly could,’ Sami said.

While she described body building as a ‘challenge’ and a ‘fun hobby’, a lot of sacrifices had to be made as her happiness started to decrease. 

‘I was obsessed – I was running myself into the ground with almost no breaks. I was doing more than what was prescribed because I wanted to do everything I possibly could,’ Sami said

‘My diet became so restricted that I would become anxious over unplanned meals and stopped going to friend’s birthdays or social drinks because I couldn’t eat or drink much,’ she said.

‘Although there were parts [of body building] that were enjoyable, it really did impact the quality of my life in a lot of other ways.’

Since her diet mostly consisted of bland chicken and protein, rice and vegetables, Sami started napping and found it difficult getting through the workday due to a lack of energy. 

‘I was just so exhausted all the time and my body would ache,’ she said. 

Sami didn’t have an eating disorder but her thoughts towards food is an example of ‘disordered eating’. 

She never ate sweets, chocolate, burgers or tasty food she started to crave.

‘I definitely became preoccupied with food; I became obsessed with what I couldn’t eat that I would scroll through Instagram looking at food knowing I couldn’t eat it,’ she said.  

For almost six months after her final body building competition, Sami started developing issues with binge-eating. 

‘I never felt satisfied because I had missed out on eating the foods I craved for so long that the binge eating just snowballed,’ she said, adding she gained 12kg over six months. 

‘It took me a lot time to repair my relationship with food – I had to learn how to trust my body again.’ 

Since she has stopped competing Sami has gained 20kg and is a healthy weight and feels ‘more confident than ever’ in her body. 

For almost six months after her final body building competition, Sami started developing issues with binge-eating. ‘It took me a lot time to repair my relationship with food – I had to learn how to trust my body again,’ she said

‘A really important part of my journey was to separate my self-worth from my body image and start to dig deeper into what value I can add to the world,’ she said. 

‘My work ethic, my personality and how I make people feel is far more impactful than whether I have abs or not.’  

While it’s impressive, Sami admitted it’s ‘unrealistic’ aim to have a toned figure all year round. 

Today Sami, who’s also a registered counsellor and body image coach, maintains a healthy lifestyle, never counts calories and works out how she wants to based on her mood. 

‘Sometimes I’ll go for a walk, some days I’ll go to the gym and lift weights, other days I’ll attend a dance glass,’ she said. 

This exercise routine can be a form of self-care and can help motivate you exercise.  

Today Sami, who’s also a registered counsellor and body image coach, maintains a healthy lifestyle, never counts calories and works out how she wants to based on her mood 

Since she has stopped competing Sami has gained 20kg and is a healthy weight and feels ‘more confident than ever’ in her body

‘By relaxing on some of the obsessions, I’ve made more time for self-care and I now know how to listen to my body,’ she said. 

‘Now I sleep better, my social life is far better, I feel so much more relaxed around food and don’t question everything I eat.’ 

Sami shares her knowledge and experience with thousands of others on social media and says everyone should strive to have a positive relationship with themselves and their body. 

If you need help or support for an eating disorder or body image issue, please call Butterfly’s National Helpline on 1800 334 673 or email support@thebutterflyfoundation.org.au