Bella Trost: All about my latest competition

Bella Trost finished her latest competition recently, the WBFF Pro World Championship in Las Vegas. This was her 12th show. The bikini model has talked about her fitness journey in previous articles and interviews (links are in the bottom of the page) and this time she was interviewed by one of the most popular womens’ magazines in her birth country, Hungary. Here is a translation of that interview.

All about the latest show of Bella Trost, multiple time bikini model world champion

Bella always talks and writes about very interesting things. Her life is not an average one. In many ways it is harder, more adventurous and more dedicated than others. Now she talks about her latest Pro fitness show and her preparation for it.

Not long ago you participated in one of the biggest fitness competitions in the USA, the WBFF Worlds Las Vegas. How did the show go and what was your overall experience?

Just being able to participate in a Pro world championship is already a big deal. It is even bigger when you come from a relatively small, far away country. Getting a pro card takes years and many competitions in the amateur division. As the federation organizes shows mostly in the States, with only one a year in the UK and Australia, you have to compete abroad for a long time.

I already have 11 world and 1 European championship behind me but this was the biggest show I’ve ever seen. This was the first amateur and pro show since quarantine and hundreds of competitors were eager to step on stage after the long COVID break. Unfortunately the result wasn’t ideal for me but I was very happy with the shape I achieved. To complete a body transformation is a great achievement and self-booster regardless of whether you get a trophy or not.

Body transformation is a very popular term these days, what does it mean for you?

I work out and watch my diet even when I’m not competing. So for me a body transformation is not about a drastic weight loss but about toning up, losing around 6-8 kilos while maintaining muscle mass and making my muscles look fuller.

When you step on stage you look your best but unfortunately this is not a long-term look. I always find it important to say this before anyone thinks that fitness athletes always look the way they do in the stage photos that you see on social media.

So are fitness photos an illusion?

Maybe the studio photos are a bit (or often very much so) but when you get your stage pictures there’s no filter on them. What you see in the picture is how you looked (and hopefully that’s what you post because you looked so good). But that stage look means that you are way under your healthy weight which means your body doesn’t function properly and you are experiencing unpleasant side effects.

To achieve that dream, lean shape requires an extreme diet and workout regime that can be very harsh on the body, especially for ladies and especially after a certain age. The more you compete the wiser you get and the better you handle the process but it never gets easier. After a certain point the body reacts and the symptoms of drastic dieting appear: hormonal imbalances, extreme tiredness – and by extreme I mean when the smallest daily tasks become a challenge to complete - loss of focus and mood swings to mention just a few things that you might experience.

If your shredding process is going well, a month before the show you probably already feel pretty bad. That’s when you have to be very strong and not break the routine and the diet.

I know it doesn’t sound fun and at some point it really isn't, but when you see your body changing you just don’t give up. There is a beauty in getting into that amazing shape. So amazing that sometimes even you can't believe that what you see in the mirror is your body. And because there is no easy way to achieve that, it is very rewarding because you achieved something with hard work and discipline. Achieving body goals is a great success that makes you stronger and more confident in every field of life. It is proof that you can deal with the hardest obstacles.

But doesn’t that positive mindset come at too high a price?

Sometimes it does. This is why competing is not for everyone. It is really hard to complete a competition prep but when the show is over you get back to normal. Depending on how lean you got and how long your program was, it takes time to recover both mentally and physically. Sometimes the mental recovery is harder than the physical. Putting weight on and seeing your perfect, lean body disappearing from one day to the next can be a devastating feeling and you might feel constantly guilty because you consume more food. But gaining weight back is unavoidable. As soon as you start to eat a little more and work out a little less your body will change… you have to get back to your healthy weight and win your energy back so you’ll be able to spend your everyday life productively and happily.

Also, you start to work out less. When I’m on comp prep I do fasted cardio 7 days a week (during my latest 2 month prep I missed only 2 days of fasted cardio because I was traveling and I couldn’t squeeze the workout in) and I do weight training 5 times a week. Show prep is very demanding and time consuming. The more you cut calories and the more intensely you train, the more calories you burn so you create a calorie deficit which means you lose weight and also energy. You become very slow. You can only do half the things that you would normally do in a day. You hardly have time or energy for anything other than food prepping, working out and sorting out some basic things during the day. You have to say no to many things, especially in your social life. And if you have family and/or a full time job, well… that’s very tough. So after a show you just have to ease the tempo, let your body relax a bit and focus on daily activities other than training.

You’ve mentioned that this competition didn’t work out well for you. How do you handle the fact that after making so much effort you don’t have the results you wanted?

Out of the 12 competitions I've done, this was the first one where I didn’t get placed. It is hard to stay motivated if you don’t get a result (of course in other ways you do - you achieved an amazing shape, the best pictures of your life were taken, you learned a lot about diet, training and about yourself). But there are so many people who’ve been competing for years and needed many shows to get to the top 3 or 5, if it ever happens. Now I understand how dedicated they are. Many people disappear from the competition world altogether. When you cut out months from your life just to spend 5 minutes on stage, sooner or later you ask yourself “Why am I doing this?” Then when your thoughts and feelings get clear a few weeks after the competition, you decide what way to go. Keep trying to get on top or find other priorities in life. For a comp prep you need to be emotionally and physically very stable and you have to be 100% determined. You have to think through whether you are at the right stage in your life to go through a new program. You cannot do a comp prep half way. Either it’s your priority or it is not worth doing.

So are you going to compete in another show?

The competition calendar is always on my mind. I work out, I do my things and then suddenly I realize I’m already on another comp prep. However I have more projects to focus on at the moment. I work on my wellness magazine and my YouTube channel and I have a coaching opportunity in Beverly Hills at The Academy which is a great work out facility owned by legendary Jiu Jitsu master Rigan Machado. Let’s see what else I will have time for besides these.

Click here to read the original interview (translatable to English)

Bella’s fitness journey articles:

This is how it started… (click here)

Winning trophies and my health back (click here)

Interview Of the Week with Bella Trost: Stages of a fitness journey (click here)

Check out Bella’s YouTube channel here: