DDT: Could you give us a little background info on who Amanda Bucci is?
Amanda: I am an all-natural bikini competitor, fitness enthusiast, and advocator for health. I am a fitness and nutrition coach whose passion is to teach people about how to find balance between reaching their goals and having a positive relationship with food and the gym. I grew up in Rhode Island an graduated rom the University of Rhode Island with my Nursing Degree. I recently relocated to Los Angeles to pursue my career in the fitness industry further, get my name out there, and spread the good word of health and science-based practices.
DDT: What got you inspired and into the fitness-health industry?
Amanda: Going back to high school, I was always an active person. I enjoyed playing sports, but I was never really all that good at them. The gym is where I went to relieve stress, sweat, and where I felt that I belonged. I have always loved training and wanted to take things a step further by challenging myself to compete in a bikini competition. I absolutely fell in love with the entire process of getting stage ready, and from there my interest in how to best go about organizing my training and nutrition regime skyrocketed. I have been lucky enough to share my experiences through social media and my following on Instagram and YouTube has grown more than I could have ever imagined. I’m more inspired than ever with thousands of people watching me and supporting me on a day-to-day basis. I want to continue to learn and grow in order to be able to help those who follow me as best as I can.
DDT: Can you tell us about your experience with your Bikini competitions and any tips for a first time bikini competitor?
Amanda: My experiences with bikini competitions have always been pretty positive. I coached myself through my first three shows, and had an incredible coach for my last three shows (William Grazione, @wgrazifpapro). I was lucky enough to not fall victim to poor coaching, and therefore have always had great experiences. Although I didn’t have to deal with a lot of the struggles many I know have went through (excessive cardio, restrictive diets, extreme peak week protocols), it doesn’t mean that being in a caloric deficit was any easier. Prep is a mental challenge all day, everyday. My advice is to stay as stress free as possible and enjoy the entire process. As mentally challenging as it can be, it shouldn’t ever be so stressful that it affects your life and your relationship with others. Take it seriously and challenge yourself like you’ve never done before, but don’t do it to the point where it becomes physically or mentally harmful.
DDT: If you could travel back in time, what would be the one thing you would do differently in your young competitive career?
Amanda: I would not do anything differently. Every single decision I’ve made in my competitive career has given me a learning experience. I have made plenty of mistakes, but I would not be where I am today without having made those mistakes. I coached myself for the first half of my competitive career and had to make every single decision on my own, which really helped me understand what did and did not work for my body. I am now incredibly in tune with my body and how it runs, but only because I’ve learned what DOESN’T work.
DDT: What do you feel is the biggest downfall in the Health and Fitness Industry?
Amanda: I find that there are a lot of marketing strategies being used to sell products that create The marketing strategies that give people unrealistic expectations of what it takes to meet their goals. There are far too many programs, articles, and products that promise a quick fix or an “easy way to get a six pack.” It causes people to have a skewed view of what it takes to reach their goals, and perpetuates the idea that only a short time period is needed to get there. The most sustainable way to reach your goals is to find something that you can picture yourself doing for a lifetime.
DDT: If you could change one thing in the Health and Fitness Industry, what would it be and why?
Amanda: The belief that only one way of eating or training can be considered “fitness.” Not everyone thinks this way, but people fall in love with the way they train and eat so much that sometimes put others down for not thinking the same way. There are many definitions of health and fitness, and things could look drastically different from one person to another. We need to be more open and supportive of others reaching their goals, even if they’re different from our own.
DDT: At times life throws challenges at you to test your mental toughness and heart as a person. What has been your biggest challenge in life and how did you overcome it?
Amanda: My biggest challenge in life came to me in the middle of college. I had developed severe anxiety over wanting to fit in and be liked so badly, that it affected me happiness and positivity. During the summer of my junior year, I moved to Venice, California (where I live now) and met someone who told me that I complain too much. I really internalized that and began changing my life, my actions, and the way I viewed things in order to stop feeling the need to complain so often. I broke free from my anxiety issues by starting to make decisions for ME and no one else. Ever since then, I have turned into the woman that I want to be. I am happy, passionate, dedicated to what I do, and living freely from society’s idea of who I am “supposed” to be. I am undeniably myself and I could not be happier.
DDT: You recently released an ebook on “Macro Counting”. Can you tell us why you created this?
Amanda: I created this during the busiest month of my whole life. It was my last month of my senior year of nursing school, I was coaching and waitressing part time, I was on prep for a bikini competition, and preparing to move across the country all at the same time. I knew I wouldn’t have as much time to answer emails and messages with questions about tracking macros, so I thought, “Why don’t I just answer all of the questions in a big file?” And somehow that file turned into a 65 page ebook, fully encompassing everything I had every learned about how to track your macros. I have done a lot of learning on my own, so I wanted people to have a resource with everything they could possibly need to know about how to track their macros and begin their journey. I have had major success with this Ebook and I believe it’s the perfect resource for any beginner who is looking to learn everything there is to know about tracking their macronutrients.
You can purchase my ebook, “The Everything Guide To Macro Tracking” through my website www.amandabuccifit.com
DDT: What are your future plans with Bikini comps and other areas of interest?
Amanda: I don’t have any bikini competitions set in stone at the moment, but if I do compete again, it won’t be until late summer of 2016. I want to make sure I have plenty of time to make improvements I need to make to be a competitive force. I want the judges to look at me and almost hand me my pro card, so I’m not afraid to take the necessary time off to get my body on that level. Aside from that, if I make it to the top 5 for the Bodybuilding.com Spokes model Search, I’ll be on stage at the LA Fit Expo in January! The top 5 will be announced on December 1st, 2015, so I’m going to implement a mini-cut into my bulking season to shed some fat and look fit and healthy on stage! They are looking for a fitness model, healthy look, and not so much a stage lean shredded look. Because of that, I don’t necessarily need to prepare for as long as I would to be competitive on the NPC stage.
DDT: What is your definition of Success and what kind of Legacy do you want to leave?
Amanda: My definition of success is simple: Do good work and share it with people. I’m a big dreamer, and what I want to accomplish is on a very large scale that it may scare some people. I want to do good work in the health and fitness industry and share it with people. And by people, I mean the world. I want to be able to help millions of people across the world find happiness in their life through health and fitness.
Fun Time!
DDT: What is your favorite lift and why?
Amanda: Ahhh, this has been a toss up between the squat and the deadlift lately. I used to be much better at deadlifting, but I recently have been incorporating squats into my program more often and am now getting much better at them! Either way – picking between the two KING exercises is near impossible. Just give me some heavy weights, please.
DDT: What is your “Go To” Pre and Post workout meals?
Amanda: I absolutely LOVE Cauliflower Oats. Sounds weird, right? You blend up cauliflower until it’s grainy and rice like, and mix it in with your oatmeal. Cook it in the microwave with 1 egg white, add ½ scoop of PEScience Snickerdoodle Protein Powder, some frozen blueberries and mini chocolate chips and you have the perfect pre-workout meal. My post workout will vary depending on what time of the day I train. If I train earlier in the day, my post workout meal tends to be some sort of meat / veggie / potato combo, and if I train later in the day I make “protein ice cream” with whey, ice cubes, almond milk, and I like to top that with fruit or some cereal. Mmmm NOW I’M HUNGRY.
DDT: Your favorite controlled-indulgence meal is______?
Amanda: After’s Ice Cream in Fountain Valley, CA. Whenever I come here, I plan on saving my macros in order to indulge in a delicious ice cream doughnut sandwich guilt-free. They scoop ice cream and a topping of your choice inside a glazed doughnut, and warm the doughnut up. My go-to is the cookie monster ice cream with oreos and a glazed milky bun. Every single bite is pure bliss.
DDT: What does Amanda like to do for fun? Please don’t hold back on us 😉
Amanda: Aside from training?! I love finding new places to get a delicious untracked meal with friends! Exploring the state’s wide range of doughnut shops and hoarding my macros to indulge in an amazing treat is something I always look forward to. I love going for walks and hikes, going to the beach, and cooking. I could seriously cook all day if I had enough hours in the day!
DDT: Where can our readers and supporters follow you and your work?
Instagram: @amandabuccifit
Bodyspace: Amanda Bucci Fit
Website: www.amandabuccifit.com
Twitter: @_amandabucci
Snapchat: “amandabucci”
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