Fit Model Over 50: Eight and Seven Weeks Out – Slip-Ups, Setbacks & Self-Compassion in the Messy Middle [Ep 54]

Lisa pulls back the curtain on her journey toward her first bodybuilding physique competition. With just weeks to go, she gets real about the emotional rollercoaster of goal pursuit, from the wins on the scale to the unexpected setbacks. It’s an honest look at the messy middle, where willpower wavers and self-compassion becomes the secret weapon.

She shares the powerful lessons she’s learning in real time: how to reset after slipping up, and the mental strength it takes to keep going. Whether you're working toward a big goal or trying to stay consistent in your own transformation journey, this episode offers a relatable and empowering reminder that what matters most is what you do next.

Key Moments:
[01:00] Real Progress Check-In:
 Body fat down, muscle up—proof that consistency is paying off

[02:00] Slip-Up & Self-Sabotage:
 A few off-plan days trigger doubt and emotional fallout

[04:00] More Than Physical:
 Transformation is mental, emotional and not just about willpower

[06:00] Reset & Recommit:
 Refocusing on the next small step helped Lisa shift her momentum

[09:00] Progress Isn’t Linear:
 Progress includes missteps—what matters is how you respond

Enjoyed this episode? DM me on Instagram @lisadupreecoaching. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Mentioned in This Episode: What To Do When You Slip-Up [Ep 16] 

Slip-ups happen. But they don’t have to take you off course. In this episode, Lisa shares how to handle setbacks with grace, shift your mindset, and move forward with confidence.

Interested in getting additional support to achieve your goals? 

Private Coaching Options: https://www.lisadupreecoaching.com/services 

Apply for a free strategy session: https://lisadupree.squarespace.com/getcoached 

Thanks for listening!

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Transcript

Lisa DuPree: [00:00:00] Hello. Hello, it's Lisa. Welcome to Midlife Mojo. Today I'm pulling back the curtain to bring you a real life check-in from the messy middle of working on a big goal. Some of the highs, the struggles, and all the things I'm learning along the way. So here we are about seven to eight weeks away from my first bodybuilding physique competition.

This phase of training is called prep and it this point, it really feels like this is where the rubber hits the road. I am like. Rolling two weeks, my seven weeks and eight week check-in into one episode, uh, because it's just been a couple of weeks that we're full of ups and downs and really all the feels.

So I'm getting getting it all into one. So let's start with the good stuff. Last week I got my monthly measurement of body fat, lean [00:01:00] muscle, overall weight. And things were looking great. Like my body fat percentage has gone down over 2% in four weeks, and that's a pretty short amount of time to see that much of a change.

My lean muscle mass went up by about a half a pound, so like progress is is real. It's really happening. So I felt so encouraged. I was proud of myself. I felt motivated. The plan. Is working, you know, my consistency with the eating, the exercising, prioritizing recovery and sleep is paying off. And then.

Bam. Right? Seemingly out of nowhere, I started to let things slide. I ended up listening to that little voice that kind of crept in. You know, you probably know the one it. It says things like, you have been doing all the right things. You've been doing so good. You deserve to reward [00:02:00] yourself. You know, let's loosen up a bit.

Let's splurge. Let's go out to eat and have a few drinks. And yeah, I did. I had a couple of days off plan and it really felt good to loosen up to indulge. Now mind you, it was nothing too wild, but it was just enough to shake my momentum. And, then came the, emotional hangover and that moment where, reality sets in and, you know, I was left thinking, what am I doing?

 The sadness, the frustration that I felt of like, damn, I did it again. Why did I do this? Why didn't I just stay the course and then, you know, that was followed really closely by a lot of doubt. Am I really gonna be able to get back on track or did I just totally blow it? So all these things hit really, really hard. Self-sabotage.

It just [00:03:00] sucks. 

So what hit me the hardest was how quickly my wins, my progress. That excitement was overshadowed by those emotions the desire, let's take it easy. Let's reward yourself, like give yourself a break, and then how closely it was followed by the like more strong emotions, like kind of emotional spiral.

The high of seeing the progress, the strong desire to just relax a bit, and then the feeling of relief to just let go, indulge, and then all those other. Feelings, the sadness, the frustration, the doubt that followed. You know, it was just a really big reminder that this prep, this process, and, and honestly, this is the same when you're working toward any big goal that requires change in your routine, change in your lifestyle, changes in specific behaviors.

 It isn't just physical. It's emotional, it's [00:04:00] mental, and it just takes way more than willpower and motivation to keep going. It takes compassion, the amount of self-compassion it takes to kind of work through some of these things that come up emotionally and mentally. It's just not talked about enough, and I don't think it's considered enough in the change process as well.

You know, I really had to sit with that sadness that came up when I realized like, you've just like gone off the rails for two days. You know, what are you doing? I had to sit with it and not beat myself up. I had to acknowledge the frustration and the doubt, and not wallow in it, not let it get to me.

I had to choose to begin again without shame. You know, it's not always easy. But it does get easier with awareness and practice. So the first thing I did was just go back to the basics. Take the next most [00:05:00] logical step. And for me, that was refocusing on my next meal, my next workout. You know, not really considering that whole mountain ahead of me, like the whole, everything that needs to happen to eight weeks.

And then, you know, what was the outcome gonna be? It was just refocusing on that next step that I could take. And made it small and it made it doable, and this allowed me to shift the momentum and not keep veering off course. So the second thing, was that I really had to have an honest conversation with myself. You know, was I willing to let a couple of days off track, turn into a week?

Or two weeks of drifting off course and doing things that were not aligned with my goal of being the best version of myself and showing up at the best level that I could for me at this time in eight weeks for my competition. And, and, [00:06:00] yeah, that was enlightening. You know, I had to really consider was I willing to let this snowball into losing the progress that I'd already worked so hard for, and the answer for me was really, uh, a very, very loud and clear no. I reminded myself

why I started this, I reminded myself of the big reasons for taking on a transformation like this, of doing the hard things, what it meant to me. And I've talked about it in the, um, like the last couple of check-ins of like really having some realizations that it's just, it's, big for me, but it's also bigger than me.

 And I also had to realize that one slip, getting off track for a day or so, it doesn't erase all the progress that I've made. You know, I did a full episode a little while back. On what to do when you slip up. So I will link that in the show notes as well, if you want to go back and listen to that.

Because really, I'm, I'm just practicing what I'm preaching here at [00:07:00] this point. 'cause I know it works. I've seen it work, I've seen it work with my coaching clients and, you know, I'm, I'm making it work for me at this point. So this really helped me get back into the mindset that I needed to keep going.

So. All good. Fast forward to the weekend. I was able to go to a show in my area and watch some amazing fit model competitors on stage. It was so exciting and I'm pretty sure it was the first ever fit model division comp in Florida. So you just started this division this year. We are still pretty early into the year, so it was super exciting to be there.

I was so inspired. It just was amazing. And also a little intimidated. Um, but one thing that really stood out to me was that each woman up there, she looked strong, she was proud, they were glowing. Like it was just beautiful to witness and it was great to see real life examples of that end [00:08:00] goal. I also really had to stay grounded, stay mindful of not getting pulled into a comparison trap, and then kind of going back into that, 

kind of emotional turmoil because I'm in prep, I'm very much in the process. And these women up on the stage, they were at their peak performance level, right? And so, you know, remembering like we can't compare our middle, our process to someone else's finish line or their peak, and so the things that I really took away, from these past couple weeks.

And it, it's really helpful to remind myself of this when you're, especially when you're in it, and maybe this is a good reminder for you too. Progress isn't linear. I. And we want it to be linear. We want it to be but it, it just isn't. There are gonna be ups and downs. There're gonna be two steps forward.

There's gonna be one step back. You know it's gonna happen. Growth [00:09:00] and doing the work to achieve your goals doesn't always feel good. That was the second thing that really hit home. Like first progress isn't linear and then. Second, doing the work to achieve your goals doesn't always like, feel great.

Sometimes it feels like you're on top of the world. And then sometimes it just sucks. And that's life, you know? That's the whole experience of it, and the third thing is when it sucks, and when there are setbacks, it doesn't mean you're failing. It doesn't mean everything that you have done.

Everything you have worked for is null and void, all it means is you are human. You are gonna have setbacks, you're gonna have emotions, and you are experiencing the full human experience. And that's a good thing. That's a thing to be aware of and, and really honor, I think at this point, especially as, you know, you're [00:10:00] working on a goal or you're trying to change something maybe that you've struggled with, in the past and you maybe you've given up on or something like that.

Uh, and so those are some big takeaways that I had for these past couple of weeks, and so here's where I am now. There have been a few tweaks in my nutrition and training that are gonna take me to the next phase of this preparation. I have fully recommitted to my plan, and most importantly, I am back to trusting the process.

 The work I'm doing is adding up, even if it is an obvious day to day. And you know, the same goes for you for anything that you're working on. If you've had a moment lately where you felt like you were just crushing it and then suddenly you find yourself off course frustrated, having doubts, you are not alone.

The path to your goal will always include some bumps, maybe some detours, maybe even a breakdown. But what matters [00:11:00] most is what you do next. Yeah. What matters most is what you do next. You get to begin again. Practice that self-compassion, reset, refocus, and do that as many times as you need to.

There's no expiration date on it. There's no limit to it. You get to begin again, with compassion, as many times as it takes. 

As a thank you so much for letting me share this check in with you. If this episode spoke to something in your experience or in your heart, send me a message over on Instagram at Lisa Dupree coaching.

I love hearing from you all. You are doing better than you think, and keep showing up and keep your mojo rising. Until next time.