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Article care of www.star-interviews.com
DON:
You've been asked to interview for donlemmon.com with
some other cool people!
AMANDA: It is very exciting for me to be asked for an
interview, especially in light of the great fitness
competitors you have interviewed before me. I love to
have the chance to meet people and chat and be able
to truly express myself. I don't get that opportunity
by doing photo shoots.
DON:
What can you tell me about your body and the shape it's
in that you think most people do not realize.
AMANDA: One comment that I frequently get is "Oh, but
you must naturally be in that shape." This could
not be further from the truth!! I grew up being a very
stocky kid. Because I have always been an athlete, I
was never fat - but still stocky. And even worse - I
have ALWAYS had an insatiable appetite (especially for
sweets). When preparing for a contest, I have to change
my eating habits a lot and also even change my workouts.
I take it as a great compliment when people think that
this is how I naturally look.
DON:
Per modeling or fitness or bodybuilding. Tell me the
best, and the worst experience you have ever had in
this field.? Maybe the experience was with another person
or happened to a friend.
AMANDA: This is going to sound corny, but I have not
yet had a bad experience with competing in fitness competitions.
Last year when I competed in the NPC I was fortunate
enough to win every contest, except for the NPC USA
where I came in second. And more importantly, at every
competition, all the competitors were extremely nice.
I think the best experience I have had so far in fitness
was when I won the overall at the 1999 NPC California
State Championships. The audience was great, I hit my
routine, and everyone was so nice. Taking 2nd at the
USA was great, but I was so nervous during the whole
competition, and I felt so much pressure, that I did
not really get a chance to settle down and just enjoy
the moment.
DON:
How do you feel about fitness models being mistaken
for fitness competitors?
AMANDA: To be honest, this is not something that I have
even thought about before. Fitness models are just trying
to make a living by filling a need created by several
fitness magazines. So long as fitness models don't lie
about whether they compete, the mistaken beliefs of
others really don't bother me.
DON:
But aren't you afraid of falling into the category of
bimbo?
AMANDA: True fans of fitness competitions know who the
competitors are. Now if your question was pointed at
whether I feel the magazines should be using competitors
rather than models - well, my answer is yes. The major
magazines feature competitive male bodybuilders to sell
the magazine's current issue and to promote feature
articles. I feel that the fitness competitors and female
bodybuilders should be similarly utilized.
DON:
Tell me about the different fad diets you have tried.
Why did they fail?
AMANDA: Oh boy, have I tried fad diets. As I mentioned
above, I am quite stocky naturally with a mixture of
a mesomorph and endomorph body type. During college
I was quite self-conscious about my body and as a result
I tried several fad diets. I tried the high carb/fat
free diet. This failed because I was always hungry and
eating carbs all the time made my blood sugar levels
constantly fluctuated. I tried the "no food" plan, where
I severely cut my total caloric intake. This also failed.
While I lost weight, I became sickly, I was tired all
the time, lost a considerable amount of lean muscle
mass and just looked terrible and I was a real grouch.
Also - I would crave food so bad that I would occasionally
go crazy and eat anything in sight. Not healthy!
DON:
What brought you to your senses?
AMANDA: My husband! Once I began living with my husband
- the fad diets went out the window. He helped me get
on a more sensible food plan - not a diet - that I can
follow year round.
DON:
What different exercise routines have you tried? Split
routines, full body workouts, and what really showed
the best results?
AMANDA: I have been weight training since the age of
14 when I trained with my high school football team
to rehab my shoulder and to increase my strength for
soccer. My introduction to weights was the Bigger Faster
Stronger program. In college, I switched to a milder
workout where I trained my entire body three times a
week.
DON:
What was your current routine like?
AMANDA: Since my senior year of college until the present
I have periodically switched my weight training routine
from a 3 on - 1 off split to a 4 on - 2 off. I feel
I get the best results when I focus training each body
part only once per week over a few sessions through
out the week.
DON:
What was the last movie you saw, video rented, cd bought,
concert saw, fancy meal ate?
AMANDA: I tend not to go out to the movies often because
I would rather stay home and rent a pay-per-view movie.
The last movie I rented was the Astronaut's Wife. The
last CD I bought was the soundtrack from the Rocky movie
(I was looking for music for my next fitness routine).
The last concert I attended was a Garth Brooks concert
(I love country music) And the last fancy meal I ate
was a wonderful steak dinner at a small french restaurant
in Philadelphia after the Atlantic City Pro Fitness
competition.
DON:
What supplement lines do you use or cycle and when?
What one should never be neglected (or more than one)?
AMANDA: Currently, I primarily use Biochem products.
The mainstay of my supplements are a multi vitamin and
mineral. Closer to a competition I will add a thermogenic
to assist the fat burning process. The most important
supplement for me is the multi vitamin and minerals.
I try to eat healthy foods, but I have noticed that
when I take these on a regular basis, I am less likely
to get a cold or flu and have less problems with my
allergies.
DON:
What got you started in weight training?
AMANDA: I started weight training at the age of 14 to
rehabilitate a shoulder injury I received playing my
favorite sport - soccer.
DON:
When did you first pay attention to diet?
AMANDA: I never paid much attention to my diet as a
teen. I just ate whatever I wanted. But once I got to
college, I became self-conscious about my body image
and as a result starting paying attention to what I
ate.
DON:
What is your crowning achievement?
AMANDA: Well, my most crowing achievement is not fitness
related. The thing I am the most proud of is getting
my law degree. I worked full time while I went though
law school. It was a real struggle, but I am glad I
pushed through.
DON:
Who cheered you along all the while and who said you
couldn't that you proved wrong?
AMANDA: The one person who has been the most inspirational
for me and who has ALWAYS supported me in anything I
have wanted to do is my husband. I am very lucky to
have him in my life. He offers unconditional support
and is my best fried.
DON:
What about setting out to do something because you were
told you couldn't?
AMANDA: No single person stands out as being someone
who I felt I had to prove wrong. I try to surround myself
with supportive people and tend not to listen to negative
comments of others. I have a very competitive inner
drive - so more than trying to prove to others that
they are wrong about their opinion about me, I try to
prove to myself that I am right.
DON:
What is your full name, age, location, actual job title
and how long have you been doing it? What was your first
and last job working for someone else?
AMANDA: My full name is Amanda Fay Doerrer. I am 29
years old and live in San Diego California. I am a practicing
criminal defense attorney, with a practice limited to
indigent criminal defense on appeal. I have been practicing
law for about a year and a half. I currently work for
a non-profit law firm in San Diego.
DON:
So what exactly is Fit FX then?
AMANDA: Fit FX is a dance team. We perform at local
functions for our sponsoring health club. We do a 2-3
minute fitness style routine that combines dance, hip
hop, gymnastics, kickboxing with some strength moves
thrown in.
DON:
Describe to me your current eating plan and what you
would change if you saw an inch creep up on your waistline?
AMANDA: My current eating plan is a high protein, low
carb diet. I add carb meals when necessary. I eat about
7 times per day. If I saw an inch creep up on my waist,
I would drop the carbs a little and evaluate my caloric
intake.
DON:
What is your favorite 'good for you' meal and favorite
cheat food?
AMANDA: Favorite good for me meal is BBQ chicken (no
sauce) with a big salad. My favorite cheat food is an
oatmeal raisin cookie from Starbucks.
DON:
Is there anything you think we haven't touched upon
here yet you'd like to?
AMANDA: I think you have covered everything. I just
like to say thanks for the opportunity to appear at
your site, this has been fun!
DON:
Just remember who interviewed first! What is your educational
background? College. Certifications. What subjects were
the most important in getting your mind set where it
is today?
AMANDA: I have a BA from the UC Santa Barbara and a
law degree from the University of San Diego. The most
important subjects were my psychology classes because
they really taught me about my self and about how and
why other people behave as they do.
DON:
I am curious what is your most frequently asked question.
AMANDA: The most frequently asked question I get about
my physique is how did I get my abs. Lots of crunches
from the age of 6 till the present but really it is
all in time through eating clean. As a goalkeeper for
soccer, I was told to do many ab exercises every day.
DON:
I am also curious if you prefer a certain line of exercise
equipment or not.
AMANDA: I don't really have a favorite line of exercise
equipment. I like free weights the most. Just good old
basic exercises - I guess that goes back to the days
when I trained with the football team.
DON:
Your top five favorite web sites are:
AMANDA: GetBig.com, Findlaw.com, iVillage.com, MSN.com,
and krech.com (absolutely free web site developers tools)!
DON:
What makes you cringe?
AMANDA: I cringe when I see people at the gym using
really bad form. I am afraid of people getting hurt.
DON:
What makes you smile so wide your jaw aches?
AMANDA: My biggest smiles are: 1) When my husband tells
a good joke, and 2) When performing my fitness routine.
DON:
Paint the final picture of your goals in life. Of all
the highs and lows, what is your desired final destination?
AMANDA: Long term, successfully arguing a case before
the US Supreme Court.
DON:
Did you read my JM Manion interview?
AMANDA: Unfortunately, I have not read the interview
with JM Manion.
DON:
What needs changed in bodybuilding or fitness mainstream
or industry related?
AMANDA: Currently I do not see a need to make changes
in the bodybuilding or fitness in the competitive arena.
The recent rule changes are good. However, in the industry,
I would like to see fitness competitions continue on
its assent to being seen as a true sport. The more the
magazines portray fitness competitors as athletes the
better the sport will evolve. However, a large part
of that responsibility also falls on the competitors
too.
DON:
What landed you in a legal career?
AMANDA: All while I was growing up I loved to read crime
novels. I was always intrigued by the legal system,
so when I hit college I decided to take a "pre-law"
major. After graduating from UCSB I took a couple
of years off from school to make sure becoming an attorney
is really what I wanted. When I was sure that
law was the place for me, I enrolled and haven't looked
back.
DON:
What 3 things would you like to see changed about the
American legal system?
AMANDA: I am a big fan of our legal system. For the
most part, I think it works pretty well. Some
changes I would like to see: 1) Remove politics
from the law. Provide District Attorneys and Public
Defenders equal funding so that both parties can play
on an even playing field. 2) I would like
to
see faster resolution of civil cases. San Diego
has a "fast track" system which keeps the civil case
calender moving at a good pace and encourages early
resolution of matters before going to trial. It
would be nice to see other jurisdictions incorporate
similar measures. 3) I would like to see
more people use the civil legal system as means to fix
problems rather than a way to push a political adjenda
or as a way to inflict revenge upon another.
DON:
What one case was your toughest?
AMANDA: Unfortunately, one of my current cases is the
toughest for me emotionally. Legally, the issues
are not very complex, however, emotionally I have been
torn. My client is a good person with no criminal
record who had an unfortunate lapse of judgment.
Due to the political climate, he received a much harsher
sentence than he deserved -- harsher than if he had
killed a person.
DON:
Was there a case you would do all over again if you
only knew then what you know now?
AMANDA: Luckily, I have not experienced this situaiton.
DON:
Ever brought your work home with you when you shouldn't
have because it affected training or diet?
AMANDA: YES! Working in criminal law, I see the
worst that people can do to each other and see the incredible
negative effects of drug and alcohol additiction.
It is difficult at times to leave that all in the office
at the end of the day. I try to make it a policy
not to bring work home with me or to the gym (like reading
court transcripts on the cardio equipment) This
way my workouts are a retreat for me and a chance to
clear my mind and get a fresh perspective on things.
DON:
Thank you so much for this. It was great! I want to
follow up soon too.
AMANDA: Thanks for the time!! I hope the answers are
ok. Please feel free to email me if you want to follow
up on any answers.
Visit Amanda at www.amandadoerrer.com
Don Lemmon's Nutritional and Exercise Know How