My next transformation interview is with a girl I definitely view as the "Wonder Woman!" Not only does she have an electric and influential disposition and an academic background that will blow your mind, but she is also drop-dead gorgeous. Read on to learn more about cover model, WBFF Fitness Pro, OxygenMag.com weekly blogger, and dentist (yup, I said dentist!) , Dr. Sara Solomon and her inspiring change from a "skinny-fat" girl to one of the top faces in the fitness industry. And did I mention she a drug free for life athlete to boot?!

R: Please tell the readers a little about yourself.

S: My name is Sara Solomon and it all started on January 25, 1978 in a small farming town in Ontario, Canada. I was an unpopular, introverted loner in high school, often ridiculed for my quirkiness and pre-pubescent appearance. As a coping strategy, I displaced my unhappy emotions into constructive activities like academia, art and music. Armed with a drive for perfectionism and high-achievement, I attained my “grade-10” piano and earned a full university scholarship after graduating from high school with a 97.2% average.

I completed my undergraduate training at McGill University in Montreal, Canada where I received my BS in Physical Therapy in 2001. During my physiotherapy training I became captivated by fitness and earned my personal training certification in 1999. My desire to interlace science and artistry resulted in my pursuit of dentistry. After obtaining my dental degree (DMD) from McGill University in 2005, I moved to Toronto, Ontario, where I currently practice.

After eight years of university, I had gained weight. I longed for a toned athletic look, but despite regular exercising, was unable to achieve any visible results. I decided to join a gym where I met WBFF Pro fitness model, Lyzabeth Lopez. Lyzabeth taught me the principles of clean eating, and within a few months my body completely transformed. I became so enamored with fitness that I enrolled in gymnastics and dance classes, and became a certified spinning and jump rope instructor .

Lyzabeth encouraged me to enter a fitness competition, and in 2009 I entered and won my first contest at age 31. I have been competing with the World Body Building and Fitness Federation (WBFF) since 2010. In the fall of 2010 I welcomed three-time WBFF Pro Figure World Champion, Emily Stirling, to my training team. I was awarded my WBFF Pro Fitness Model Status in 2011, and I have been actively competing with WBFF ever since.

R: Your transformation story is really inspiring and was even featured in Oxygen Magazine! Can you tell us about it and what motivated you to make major changes in your lifestyle?

S: The year was 2008. I was crying to my gorgeous 5’10”, 115 lb. sister on the phone about how much I hated my body. I had thunder thighs, unsightly cellulite, love handles and a bloated belly. Baggy tops were a staple in my wardrobe and I never wore a bikini in public. I barely had any friends, my boyfriend had just cheated on me and I did not want to have another boyfriend because I felt undesirable. My self-esteem was at an all time low. Instead of consoling me, my older sister, whom I love dearly, gave me some very tough love. She yelled at me, “Sara, stop crying! In the time you took to call me and complain about your body, you could have been doing something about it!”

Having a fit body seemed so unattainable. I never thought it would be possible for me to look like that. I had improper nutrition, zero flexibility, muscle imbalances from an inadequate training program and poor self-image. Who would have thought that three years later I would be calling my sister to tell her I am a WBFF Pro Fitness Model being featured in internationally recognized fitness magazines?! I have definitely come a long way in two years and even learned how to do splits and back handsprings. It was not an easy road, but thanks to my sister, I no longer waste my time complaining or making excuses. I just do it.

Obviously there are numerous health benefits to losing weight and improving fitness. The most unexpected ancillary benefit, however, has been my dramatic increase in self-confidence. I’m no longer the introverted insecure loner I once was in high school. Thanks to fitness, I have come out of my shell. After engaging in an invigorating workout, I feel energized both physically and mentally and am prepared to tackle all of life’s challenges. I have gained a whole new positive outlook and approach to life through fitness and healthy living. My boosted self-confidence has lead to improved professional and interpersonal relations, as well as new exciting opportunities and experiences. I’m a brand new Sara! Just like a famous Linkin Park song says, “Things aren’t the way they were before. You wouldn’t even recognize me anymore.”

R: You and I have had many conversations in depth about how body image rules the female mind, especially in the fitness industry. It is all very relative for sure, but for most females, regardless of their industry or background, it can be hard to find that perfect, healthy and positive “body image.” What does this mean to you?

S: Trust me, I definitely know what it feels like to hate and insult my own body. To add further insult, at my heaviest I would compare myself to my older sister. She is 5’10”, 115 lbs and a gorgeous fashion model. She can eat whatever she wants - usually junk-food - never exercises and never gains a pound.

I used to fantasize about having a body like Angelina Jolie, Victoria’s Secret model, Adriana Lima, or Edyta Sliwinska from “Dancing with the Stars.” A large part of the problem comes from our culture. The notion that status and thinness are linked is an idea reinforced by the media. We associate particular physical characteristics with beauty, sex appeal and status, but no one ever explains why. The sad reality is that having a certain type of body affects how people interact with you. This seems pathetic considering millions of people are starving in Africa, and yet here in America we are intentionally depriving ourselves of food and jeopardizing our health to achieve a certain look and status.

Ironically, fitness competitors, who are typically thought be in top health, are often the ones who suffer the most from body image disorders and exercise/diet obsession. Much of the pressure comes from a lingering fat phobia. I am the first to admit that I don’t want to see over a certain weight on my scale again. But I also understand it is neither realistic nor healthy for me to maintain my competition weight of 115 lbs. Thus my goal is to stay within ten pounds of my stage weight.

When we look in the mirror, we have 2 choices: to sabotage ourselves and treat our bodies as the enemy or to treat our bodies with respect. Beating yourself up about your body is a terrible motivator. The only change it creates is building more self-loathing. We should be our own body’s biggest fan. We should feel empowered by our workouts and clean eating.

For many of us, how we feel about our body is conditional. If our body is an “ideal” weight then we love it. We wear more revealing clothes, feel happier, more confident and attract more attention from others. But if our body is too large or not muscular enough, then we insult it and hide it in unflattering baggy clothes. We are unhappy and less confident. Since when did our confidence and happiness levels become indirectly proportional to our body fat percentages?

So what does a positive body image mean to me? I used to think it was about being happy with the way I looked. But after careful deliberation, I realize it truly means accepting myself...nourishing myself with clean food...taking care of myself by exercising...being kind to myself and knowing that my presence on earth matters regardless of my body fat percentage.

As my mom always says, “true beauty is something you cannot even see in a mirror”. She’s right. There’s a lot more to Sara Solomon than a body fat percentage.

R: What do you do when you have a "diet slip up" and how do you keep that from making you completely fall of track?

S: The competition diet requires tremendous willpower and is probably the most difficult part of preparing for a fitness competition. I would also like to point out that the post-competition diet is equally challenging! When I am preparing for a contest I don’t cheat - period. When I am in “focus mode,” I am like a robot. However, since the commencement of my post-competition diet, I have caught myself agonizing over diet indiscretions and feeling like I have to squeeze in an extra cardio session to compensate. I feel this is an important topic to address because maintaining a clean diet 24/7 can create an all-consuming lifestyle that can easily get out of balance and lead to self-loathing, depression, falling off the bandwagon, and throwing in the towel, potentially leading to body dysmorphia or an eating disorder.

We have to commit to be fit. It is not possible to out-train our diets. Eighty percent of our success is contingent upon diet. This means eating clean for a fitness professional is a full-time job. To minimize cheating, I recommend you have all your meals prepared in advance so you can grab and go. I promise you that you will cheat if you have cheat food in your house. So throw it out! Other tricks I employ to minimize cheating include chewing gum, and making hot cocoa using chocolate flavored Stevia. Every day I reward myself for not cheating with a “wheysicle”: I make a chocolate protein shake, pour it into a plastic cup, insert a Popsicle stick, and place in the freezer. It takes me 30 minutes to eat it, warding off hunger, and tastes exactly like a fudgesicle - minus the guilt.

When not in competition mode a cheat once in the blue moon is acceptable. When you are depriving yourself of candy bars, cake, croissants, nachos, cheesecake and cookies, it is easy for food to occupy your every waking thought. Here is the million dollar question: “Does food control you, or can you be in control?”

It is inevitable we will all face setbacks every now and then. That’s part of achieving any goal. If it were easy, then it would not be a worthy goal. Setbacks with my diet leave me feeling unmotivated and lost. The hard part is finding the motivation to start again. I find it helpful to think about what made me want to start in the first place. Thinking about the benefits not cheating will have on my physique, career, and life help to re-motivate me.

I currently have 10 lbs to lose thanks to post-competition cheating. To help motivate myself, I created a facebook competition entitled “Get it Tight,”with the grand prize sponsored by All American EFX and judged by Eric Broser. Forty contestants have already entered my 8-week challenge to “get it tight”. Bottom line - it’s never too late to start fresh. All you need to do is take action and follow through.

R: What is your current diet, training and cardio regime?

S: At the moment, I am post-contest, but will be competing at the August 2012 WBFF Pro World Championships. I am currently focusing on a “physique transformation” under the guidance of a new member to my training team, WBFF Pro Figure athlete, Melissa Tucker. Melissa has taught me the importance of referring to the months when I am not competing as “post-contest” rather than “off-season.” Off-season has a negative connotation, suggesting freedom to stray from clean eating and regular exercising. As fitness professionals, we must maintain a healthy lifestyle year round. This week Melissa has me following this protocol (below), for example, but changes my program weekly based on my progress.

Fasted a.m. Cardio:

• 6 days a week for approximately 40 minutes
• It consists of variety: stair-mill, stepper, jump rope, incline walking, and HIIT treadmill sprints.

Strength Training:

• 4 days a week: Melissa trains me for 2 out of the 4 days and she is TOUGH!
• Lots of supersets, sweat & grunting!
• Legs and deltoids twice weekly; biceps, triceps, back, chest and abs once weekly.

Diet:

*At the moment, the goal is to build muscle. This diet is facilitating this goal.

• Meal 1: 1/3 cup of oats, protein shake
• Meal 2: ½ apple, ½ cup quinoa, 3 oz fish
• Meal 3: 2 cups green veggies, 3 oz chicken
• Meal 4: 4 oz shrimp, chopped pepper, 20 g walnuts
• Meal 5: 3 oz chicken, chopped cucumber
• PLUS: post strength training protein shake, BCAA’s, Omega 3, multivitamins

R: You are EXTREMELY proactive with self-promotion on your Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and Website pages. Any career advice you could give to those just breaking into the health and fitness industry? What are your bigger career plans in the industry for the future?

S: Every human is born with unlimited potential. Most people, however, tap very little of their potential, leaving many strengths under-developed and many opportunities unrealized. My successes are a result of a desire to excel, obsessive focus, tenacity and a “work first, play later” policy. I have developed many skills by spending years honing each craft. Nobody is great without practice, experience and hard work. I take pride in trying again and again and not giving up on my goals. I have failed exams and I have placed last in fitness competitions. Yes, I have had many moments where I face a creeping sense that my efforts are fruitless, delusional and even ridiculous. However, I refuse to call my attempts a failure unless they fail to teach me a lesson. In fact, I would like to thank my failures for teaching me that character consists of what is done on the fourth or fifth tries.

Rome was not built in a day. I did not become a dentist over night. It took me a decade to obtain my “grade-10 piano.” I had to compete five times as an amateur before I earned “Pro Fitness Model” status. There are no shortcuts to any place worth going in life. If you want to succeed, you simply have to follow through with your plans and surround yourself with people who will inspire you to achieve.

I am a strong believer that you have to create your own opportunities. Nothing will be handed to you. When I look back on the past 33 years, my success has come from steps I have taken to create opportunities for myself. Who else will do this for me? I am constantly thinking about my next project. What else can I do? How can I get better? I am an esoteric breed, a peculiar and pedantic individual with an insatiable hunger for high-achievement and perfectionism. I am a workaholic and a control freak because I know what I want in life. I was born to entertain and provoke thought. My ambition is to “rule the world”. I recall Madonna stating that to Dick Clark on American Bandstand in 1984 and I vowed at that moment I would achieve the same level of success in my career.

I do as much as I can on my own to ensure my visions are executed as I intend. Nothing aggravates me more than people who slow me down, fail to produce to my standard, or fail to follow through. This is why I elected to hone skills in self-promotion, including photography, video editing, photo retouching, acting, and public speaking. If you want to succeed, you better think outside the box and be prepared for the naysayers. Unlike the girl I used to be in high school, I am now amused by people who insult me. I am an unstoppable mutating virus. That’s what you have to be to rule the world.

I love this quote, as it is the perfect way to sum things up...

“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.” - William Shakespeare, "Measure for Measure", Act 1 scene 4

R: Thank you so much for your time Sara! We look forward to tracking your continued and ever evolving success in the industry!!!

Dr. Sara Solomon, BSc PT, DMD, WBFF Pro Athlete

Related Links

• Personal Website
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• BodySpace
• Dental Office Website
• Oxygen Blog