TLC Star Anfisa Nava Shares Swimsuit Photo of "Contest Prep"

90 Day Fiancé star Anfisa Nava is preparing for a bikini bodybuilding competition and her physique looks absolutely incredible. Nava is open and honest about the sacrifices she has to make to get into the right shape for competitions, and says it's not something that can be sustainable permanently. "Contest prep shape is not sustainable long term! And is also very deceiving," she captioned the post. Here's how Nava lost weight and got into the best shape of her life.

Nava was focused on losing weight before she became interested in bodybuilding. "First, I lost about 15 pounds in about six months and that's when I started thinking about competing," she says. "So then I actually gained a little weight to increase my muscle. But then I lost more. It took about a year and a half. I wasn't in a rush. In the beginning, I was 146 pounds and now I'm about 120. I've actually been skinny my whole life, but when I moved to the United States I gained about 15 to 20 pounds. The food here is different from the way I used to eat in Russia. In Russia, I would eat home-cooked meals but here I would go out to eat a lot. And I wasn't really controlling it, I was eating everything. There was also more stress."

Nava focused on portion sizes and cardio to lose weight. "I just reduced my portion size and started doing cardio too," she says. "I was doing the elliptical or the treadmill five or six times a week for 30-40 minutes… We'll see how this first [competition] goes. I don't really have any expectations. I just want to get my feet wet and see what it's like and go from there. Besides the competition I'm going to school."

Nava loves cooking herself healthy meals. "Chicken thighs with brown rice and veggies… Switching from eating chicken breast to chicken thighs has been literally life changing for me," she says. "I like simple quick meals and I found that chicken breast often comes out somewhat dry and tasteless. So I decided to try chicken thighs and OMG what a difference. This time I made them on the grill but usually I just cut the thighs into small pieces, throw on the pan, season, and cook for 5-6 minutes. Comes out amazing every time. It does have more fat than breast but that's alright."

Nava is making it clear her current physique is strictly for competing. "It's a proven fact that strength training helps women stay healthy, be strong and live longer," she says. "As I mentioned in the beginning, contest prep shape is deceiving in photos, because I am not a giant hulk in person. I'm 120 lbs 5'6" woman 😁 the level of conditioning required to compete is pretty extreme, so even with only 3-4 extra lbs I won't look that shredded anymore."

Nava is tired of people telling her she looked better before entering bodybuilding competitions. "As for 'you looked better before', I feel happy with every shape I am in," she says. "I like to be lean and feel light and as if I'm not walking but gliding. And I also like to enjoy foods and be more curvy ☺️. Bodybuilding and competing is a part of my life now, and I know this may not have been the reason you follow me in the first place. So feel free to click the unfollow button because I want to surround myself with people who are not afraid of change and growth and are happy for others on their journey ❤️."