A top Kiwi fitness model and champion bodybuilder says it's not the training that's the hardest part of competing - it's the diet.
Amy Lee Summers, 27, skyrocketed to success after entering the WBFF Bikini Diva World Championships in Las Vegas without any previous bodybuilding experience, only to take first place against competitors across the world.
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"It was an incredible achievement and such a big stage for me to jump on," Summers says. "Taking out first place was amazing."
Summers is now heading across the ditch, to participate in WBFF Australia International Pro on the Gold Coast.
In a video the model filmed for Newshub, she reveals the hardest part is managing her food, firstly for the "three or four months dieting" for worlds, and then seven weeks between worlds and the Australian comp.
"Everything's weighed and everything's measured - there's no cheating," she revealed.
"So constantly, when you're out and about or at social occasions, you're not able to eat any of the food that's there."
She says the best thing you can do "is stay prepared".
"I have my little six-pack bag, I have all my meals inside the bag, and I keep that with me all the time."
The athlete faces a gruelling day every day, beginning with a 45-minute fasted cardio workout in the morning, before cracking into breakfast: mince and green beans.
"Then I go into my weights session then I have my kumara and chicken. For dinner I'm currently having fish and pumpkin," she says.
"People don't quite realise the training is really hard, but so is the dieting. It's as much of a mental game as it is a physical game."
Summers says she even "dreams about food".
"A couple of nights ago I had dreams about eating Squiggles biscuits."
Summers says she is constantly asked what she's going to indulge in as her 'cheat meal' when the competitions are over - a "big decision" after dieting for almost half a year.
"I definitely have a sweet tooth, and I definitely miss ice cream and chocolate."
Summers says her biggest tip for anyone wanting to compete would be "to find the right trainer and nutritionist" and to "spend time building the muscle".
"I've really pushed my body and mind, and its really made me appreciate and understand you can achieve anything. There's so much more that you can do if you really focus and put 110 percent into it.
"You can get the results if you're ready and you're going to commit."
Newshub.