Transformations Series: Katie Martin

Scrolling through social media and becoming intimidated by bikini pros can easily hurt someone's self-esteem, as it did 24-year-old Katie Martin. Growing up in the Shreveport, Louisiana woods, fishing and hunting, Katie now finds herself in quite a different direction – training for bikini competitions and transforming her fitness life. Katie's fitness transformation took off about two years ago when she realized she needed to make a serious change. When she started college, she would go to the gym to do a little cardio, some ab exercises and light weights, and then eat pizza. Boyfriend and bodybuilding companion, Jordan Armentrout, whose very own fitness transformation was one of our first features, helped kick her old habits out of play. He helped Katie with a new diet (including a meal management system, of course) and weekly workout plan, which gave her fitness results almost instantly. Her prompt results settled her decision to continue with this lifestyle. Spending her side time doing acroyoga, reading and, of course, working out, Katie is Chief Director of Fino Health Solutions, a metabolic management company. She originally started her fitness transformation weighing around 145 pounds and has already managed to lose 24 pounds, bringing her to a solid weight of 121 pounds.

"Don't let yourself get in the way of your success."

Still, Katie's development was not by any means easy. Keeping a strict diet was very challenging, and her self-doubt lived on deep down. Katie needed to replace her old eating habits in preparation for her first bikini competition. Although it was much more difficult than she imagined, she resisted her sweet cravings and the emotional battle that came with them. However, her sacrifices transformed her into someone both mentally and physically stronger. "It took a lot of work, but through constant love and encouragement from my friends and family, I was able to overcome my self-doubt," she said. Katie obtained much of her all-powerful inspiration from Jordan. She watched him set his mind on a goal, overcome his own obstacles, and make sacrifices that led to success. "We have truly become a power couple of Louisiana!" she said. Katie and Jordan have unmistakably grown as a determined, loving couple. Katie's transformation allowed Jordan to see her develop emotionally and physically through the whole process. At first, Katie had extreme difficulty getting used to meal preps, but with Jordan's support, the two began grocery shopping and meal prepping together. Now regularly attending the gym six days a week, Katie spends at least two days working on her legs and glues, and splits the other four between her back, shoulders, arms and chest. She always starts with 20 minutes of cardio, then goes into incline ab exercises. Lastly, she is ready to start her main workout, where she limits her time to no more than an hour.

"People say abs are made in the kitchen and I don't think there has ever been a truer statement."

Katie doesn't typically follow any macros, opting instead to just focus on clean and natural food prep. Her diet contains a lot of grilled chicken and tilapia, brown rice, egg whites, sweet potatoes, oatmeal and plenty of water to stay hydrated. She usually prepares a big breakfast and two smaller lunches, with a meal before her workout and a small meal to follow.

After Jordan's first show, Katie listened to him tell her all about "these awesome backpacks people had backstage that they carried their food and everything else in."

They both thought the bags were very cool and useful, so much so that Jordan now has two 6 Pack Bags that they both use everyday. When the couple head out for long road trips, they find their bags especially handy. They are able to eat prepared meals on the road and stay on their eating schedules, rather than stopping for fast food or junk food.

By altering her mindset and staying out of her own way, Katie successfully placed 4^th in the Open Bikini contest of her first competition!

Transformation in fitness brought Katie and Jordan together in incomparable ways. Whether it is shopping, lifting, or eating together, the two have grown tremendously and their relationship has improved. The two of them share the pleasure and split the suffering that comes with clean eating (especially before or during peak weak). They are a balanced team that carries each other's weight, both physically in the gym, and emotionally outside of it. They say they are more in love than ever! 6 Pack's meal management has definitely played a role in bringing the two closer to reaching their goals. Continuing to travel to competitions frequently, they use their meal management bags for everything. After two years together, they continue to share the Innovator and the Elite Voyager. The strong-willed couple hopes to pass on their fitness transformation experiences to many others, along with how the bags have helped them carry the success. Follow them both on Instagram @kdmartin_ and @jordanarmentrout to get more of an insight into their respective fitness journeys!