WBFF Pro Diana Chaloux Talks With Simplyshredded.com

How did you get started with Figure and Fitness?

My journey in the fitness industry started back in 2002 when I first became a certified personal trainer, I actually graduated from college with a degree in Business, and after working in a sedentary office job for six months, I knew that this wasn’t the life for me. The one place that I knew I loved was the gym, so I knew that I had to figure out how to make a living being in the place that I was happiest spending my days.

Personal training still brings me the greatest joy, the opportunity to aid others in developing a fit and healthy lifestyle, the ability to be a positive inspiration, to educate and motivate others to care for their bodies, means more to me than anything!

I’m also a competitor. I’m a WBFF Pro, the WBFF Figure World Champion 2008, FAME Fitness Model World Champion 2008 and former NPC National Level Figure Competitor. The competition side of things didn’t start for me until 2005. I had thought about competing for about three years, drooled over the pages of Oxygen magazine wishing that some day I would be one of those insanely fit models gracing the pages, but still I procrastinated. After working as a fitness director for Norwegian Cruise Lines for a year, and gaining about 30 pounds to tip the scales at my heaviest weight ever of slightly over 170, I had a wake up call. I was frustrated and angry with what I had let myself become, and I had run out of excuses for putting off my dreams. July 5, 2005 I had my “ah-ha” moment. I signed up for my first figure competition the NPC John Sherman Classic 2005, which was 18 weeks away. After 18 grueling weeks of training and burning my booty off…literally… I stepped on stage and placed 1st in my height category. With that little taste of success, there was no turning back! My next show was the NPC Ronnie Coleman Classic 2006, where I again took 1st place in Figure D.

My journey has continued from there, I’ve been extremely blessed on the competition side of things and have seen some major dreams come true…including becoming one of “those girls” in Oxygen.

Today I am living my fitness dreams out as my reality. The love of my life and partner in all things, Micah LaCerte and I opened our own personal training studio, the Hitch Fit Gym, in Kansas City, MO in August 2009. Our studio is thriving and we get to wake up every day in love AND loving what we do. I couldn’t ask for a better life! For the last year and a half I have been providing online personal training, weight loss and fitness model programs for women worldwide. This has been an awesome opportunity for me to help so many more people on an international level achieve their fitness goals! You can check it out at www.wellnessengine.com/dianachaloux .

Where does your motivation come from?

My motivation is two fold. It mainly comes from within. I’ve known for a long time that God’s purpose for me was to be in the fitness industry, it’s the passion that he placed in my heart, so I’ve always felt that it was my responsibility to strive to be the best I can be in this field. I love the challenge and dedication of competing, and I’ve always enjoyed setting really big goals and dreams for myself and then just jumping out there and seeing if I can achieve them. The second part of my motivation comes from other people. The emails that I receive on a daily basis from men and women looking for guidance, or thanking me for the bit of inspiration they received from reading one of my articles, or seeing a picture, or watching a video, or working with me online or in person, is what keeps me focused on making sure I make healthy choices on a daily basis!

What are your training and diet philosophies?

I believe in balance. I believe in listening to your body. I believe in helping people learn healthy habits and eating styles, which they can actually maintain for life. I hate fad diets, or diets that are so drastic that people may initially lose a lot of weight and then balloon back up as soon as they can’t handle it anymore. I believe in training as hard as possible, but also in allowing my body the time to rest and recover. I believe in giving 100% and making every workout your best one, and then fueling your body properly to get your best results. My main goal in life is to help people be fit and healthy and to help them learn how to maintain a healthy lifestyle for good, so balance is the core of my training philosophy, both for myself and for my clients.

I eat a combination of protein and carbohydrate at every meal of the day, and incorporate healthy fats into 2-3 meals per day.

I eat a lot of vegetables, can’t get enough of the green stuff! My nutrition stays clean year round. Off season, I maintain a weight that is no more than 6-8 pounds from the weight that I would compete at. I lost 40 pounds to compete in my first show and I never want to have to work that hard again! I stay lean year round by eating clean at least 80% of the time, and then enjoying my cheat meals and other special treats that I stay away from during competition. Even when training for shows I eat balanced the entire way through, I do reduce my carb intake, but never completely eliminate them.

WBFF Pro Chaloux Urban Stylz Photoshoot

If you have to pick only 3 exercises, what would they be and why?

If I had to choose only three exercises to do, I would choose three that would effectively work nearly every muscle in my body. I would do push ups, pull ups and squats. These three movements alone will work the major leg muscles, quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings, as well as the upper body chest and back muscles, shoulders, biceps and triceps. You get a lot of bang for your buck with these powerful three!

When trying to cut down do you prefer to use HIIT or just normal cardio?

When leaning out I do a combination of both high intensity intervals and steady state cardio. 2-3 days a week may be high intensity intervals and tabata intervals, 2-3 days would be longer duration, steady state cardio. Duration and frequency of cardio will of course progress as I get closer to whatever event it is that I’m training for.

What are your favorite meals and foods?

My favorite meals are little protein breads that I bake using egg whites, protein powder, oatmeal and water. They are delicious and are excellent for when I’m on the go! I also make an egg white burrito that I love, I use a low carb whole wheat tortilla, cook up my egg whites with a little fat free cheese, these only take about three minutes to prepare and are my favorite mid morning meals. I also love fruit and vegetables. During off season I make sure to get a lot of nutrients and vitamins from apples, oranges, grapefruits and strawberries, I do reduce my fruit intake during training.

Favorite cheat food?

Chocolate peanut butter ice cream sandwich, these are Deeeelicious! I have a sweet tooth, so when I cheat it is usually with ice cream. This indulgence is a special treat that one of the local restaurants here in Kansas City makes. Saturday is Micah and my date night and cheat night, so we go there every week and have our favorite dessert. They don’t even bring us menus anymore because they know exactly what we are going to order!

What supplements do you use that give you great results? How do you use them?

I’m don’t use a ton of supplements actually. I stick with the basics, BCAA’s which I take 2-3 times per day, Glutamine which I take before and after workouts, a multi vitamin in the morning and a good whey protein isolate. My results come from proper training and nutrition so I don’t rely heavily on a lot of supplements.

Favorite Bodybuilders?

Well I’ve always been a Ronnie Coleman and Arnold Schwarzenegger fan on the men’s side of things. On the Figure side of things, my main inspiration has always been Monica Brant. She has been a wonderful role model, and really helped me a lot in the beginning phases of my fitness journey.