Body Transformation: Lizzy Ostro Body Transformation

Lifestyle Prior To Change

Prior to college, I was an athlete, but ate extremely poorly. I ate fast food for almost every meal, and didn’t exercise outside of sports. When I stopped playing sports and began college, I stopped being active. My freshman year, I realized that I had become skinny-fat. That was something I had always dreaded. After hiring a personal trainer in 2007, I began lifting weights and totally loving it! I was completely addicted and knew I had found my niche. After about a year of training, I still wasn’t where I wanted to be physically.

What was your turning point?

My low point was when I realized that my freezer was full of Lean Cuisines, and although I worked out a lot, my eating habits needed to change. A look in the mirror confirmed that you just can’t out-train a bad diet.

What Was Your Exercise Plan?

After deciding that I wanted to a) get in the best shape of my life and b) wanted to enter an NPC Bikini Competition, I changed my whole life around. This included my diet AND my workouts. For my workouts, I started doing a split routine and began doing more cardio. I also started implementing different forms of exercise such as boxing, hiking, and indoor rock climbing.

What is your current training split and routine?

My current training split looks something like this:

• Monday: Back/Biceps, 1 hour cardio
• Tuesday: Boxing, Chest/Triceps, 30 minute sprint workout
• Wednesday: Legs (Quads/Plyos), 30 minutes light cardio
• Thursday: Boxing, Shoulders/Abs, 30 minutes cardio
• Friday: Yoga, Glute/Hamstrings
• Saturday: Boot Camp
• Sunday: Track Workout (bleachers, sprints, etc.)

I change up my training a LOT because I get bored with the same thing all the time. I like routine, but I like to confuse my muscles. The gym is my playground! I also make sure that I take a rest day when I feel like I need it. My training program is pretty intense, but I love to train like an athlete.

What Was Your Diet Plan?

My eating habits were probably the most crucial part of transforming my body. I began eating completely clean, whole foods and saw results so quickly. While some people would cut out fruit for a competition diet, I kept it in and loved every minute of it. I gave myself a full 6 months to lose the 20 pounds, so I was able to not be as strict as some competitors. Lean proteins, complex carbs, vegetables, fruit, and healthy fats all became staples in my diet.

Current sample eating plan

It changes on the daily, but here is a pretty normal day:

• Meal 1 (pre-workout): ¼ cup wheat bran, ¼ cup quinoa flakes, 3 egg whites, ½ scoop protein powder
• Meal 2 (post-workout): 1 scoop protein powder, 2 scoops Xtend
• Meal 3: 4 oz. ground turkey, ¼ avocado, ½ cup brown rice, asparagus
• Meal 4: 3 oz. chicken, ½ oz. walnuts, green beans
• Meal 5: 4 oz. ground turkey, ¼ avocado, brussels sprouts
• Meal 6: 1 egg, 5 whites, 1 cup spinach, broccoli and cauliflower

What supplements do you use?

The supplements that I take are a multi-vitamin, magnesium, vitamin b-12, Scivation Xtend (BCAA’s), glutamine, and glucosamine/chondroitin.

What Is Your Life Like Now?

From eating fast food and being lazy, to making the gym my priority and eating whole, clean foods, my life has done a complete 180. I used to wake up groggily at 1 or 2pm, and I now cheerfully am out of bed by 5:30am ready to get my workout on. While the physical changes I have made are amazing, the mental changes that I have experienced are the best part of all that I have done. I am a more confident and self-fulfilled person and I can’t even begin to describe how much better I feel about life through this transformation.

Advice For Others

For anyone who is just starting out, start slowly. I didn’t just wake up one day and start eating 100% clean. I started to cut out junk slowly, and replace it with better foods. Research things on your own. Over the past few years, I have researched and read every article, website, book, etc. about fitness, nutrition and health that I could get my hands on. Everyone has their own opinion on these topics, and I found that instead of listening to the contradicting arguments, I would find out for myself and make my own opinions on the subjects. It has been the greatest help for me. Staying motivated can also be tough, so it is important to surround yourself with positive people who believe in you. Even more importantly, believe in yourself! Everyone has the ability to transform into whatever they’d like, it just takes persistence, will power and a positive attitude.

More from Lizzy Ostro

I just began taking clients who are looking for the advice of someone who has been through the journey. While I am not a nutritionist, I know a lot about nutrition and fitness and would like to share my knowledge, along with some motivation, to those who are seeking help. I love to help people and have such a passion in this industry! I’m not going anywhere J My website is www.fitlizzio.com.