Why my routine MIGHT not work for you

I want to get really real here for a minute. I like to share recipes and have no problem sharing my workouts. The truth is, I do this more for me than you.  I do it because it makes me plan, it makes me accountable and it motivates me to make good choices. In addition to motivating me, it gives ideas to others on the same journey.

I know what it's like to be struggling to lose weight. I worked hard for 2.5 years to lose over 100 pounds naturally. That's only the beginning of the struggle though.  When my life got a little messy, I immediately took the focus off my healthy habits and became very sedentary and ate a lot of convenient foods.  I gained weight pretty quickly. I cared, but not enough to really consider what I was putting in my body OR care enough to get active to counter a little of the junk I was eating. Now I'm starting over again, not from the place I started from before. But definitely from a place I thought I'd never be in again.

I know as much as anyone who has struggled with weight how much you want an easy fix. A quick weight loss solution to get you back in shape fast.  So you look to others. I can't tell you how many super skinny model type with thigh gaps I used to follow on social media. I followed them because I wanted to look like them.  I wondered what they were eating, how often they workout and what they were doing.  The truth is, I hoped that I could mirror their routine and look just like them.  But I won't look like them. And their routines MIGHT not even get me into the best shape I can be in.  Most of those girls are ectomorphs. They are naturally thin and have a hard time gaining weight.  That's not to say none of them have ever been over weight, but a lot of them haven't. And if they were slightly over weight, it's not to the degree that I can quickly and easily gain weight.  We are different. Doing what they do, will not yield the same results.

I don't sell "my workout" or "my diet" because I constantly mix up my workouts. And I am still experimenting with the best macros for me. Frankly it makes me sad when I see social media fitness "celebrities" selling a cookie cutter diet or workout plan.  Because I know that people who are desperate to lose weight will pay $5, $10 or more for a cookie cutter plan.  While I haven't seen these plans, I would bet that some of these little waifs eat as little as 1200 calories a day.  If you're an overweight person doing any activity at all, that's simply not enough calories. Your body will not be happy or you'll end up starving and binge. They might be low carb, high fat diets.  I found out the hard way that my body type is programmed to store fat eaten.  So when I tried Keto (atkins) my results were mediocre at best.  It just doesn't work for me. If you're 160, 200, 250+ pounds, you simply cannot just do what a 110 pound person does and look like them.  In theory, you can eat healthier foods and portion sizes, you can increase activity to burn calories and shape your body. But you need to cut calories gradually to avoid slowly the metabolism too quickly.  I feel there is simply too much comparison going on. If you don't have a thigh gap, you're not less valuable than someone that does. (and visa versa). The idea of a fitness journey should be finding your best self, not trying to turn into someone else.

I share my journey (for free) to motivate others to find what works for them and give them ideas along the way. I want everyone to know that you can work hard and get in the best shape of your life. You don't have to buy a cookie cutter diet plan. You don't have to cut out all carbs. (Carbs are a very important macronutrient) You CAN eat more than 1,000 or 1,200 calories a day and achieve your fat loss goals. I want to help others in their fitness journey and I want you to be successful. Not because it's good for my pocketbook, but because it makes me feel good to help someone else and see them happy and comfortable in their skin.  So I'll happily continue sharing my journey in hopes to inspire others to start a journey of their own to reach their own goals.

Carb Quik banana muffins

I've decided in order to stay motivated and watch my macros, I will start posting some healthy recipes so I have less excuses to eat healthy food.  After all, If I making it for my blog.. it's there and I don't need to go out for some convenient junk food.  

I bought some carbquik mix a while ago on Amazon (my favorite lazy girl website).  I didn't really have anything in particular in mind when I ordered it.  I am NOT against carbs at all.  For me personally, I found lower fat, high protein and moderate carbs is best for losing weight. Also I LOVE carbs.  I am always looking for ways to enjoy my favorite carb heavy foods in a healthier way. 

I hadn't even opened the mix. I've been kind of slacking off diet (and exercise) wise lately. But I found a relatively easy recipe for banana nut muffins and I modified it based on what I had in my kitchen. 

So.. without further delay.. lets get to the recipe!

Ingredients:

2 cups Carbquik

1 ripe banana

1 egg

2/3 cup unsweet almond milk (can sub in whatever kind of milk you drink)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

8 packets of Truvia

1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until moist. (up to 1/4 cup water can be added if needed) I didn't need to add any extra water. 

The batter is very light and airy.

scoop the batter in to 12 regular size muffin tins. 

Bake for 8-13 minutes.  (I checked at 10 min and ended up baking all 13 minutes)  

They are very light and fluffy! Makes a great pairing with a protein shake or some eggs or egg whites. 

Macros for the muffins (based on my ingredients) 

PER 1 MUFFIN

Calories:  71

Fat:         4.8g

Carbs:     9.9g

Fiber:      7.3g

Protein:   3.7g

I failed spectacularly

First, it's been ages since my last post. I've been pretty busy with things in my personal life. Unfortunately a lot of things that don't include the gym or eating healthy food. I've gained a lot of weight over the past year. I feel like a perfect storm of circumstances hit and I just kind of surrendered to it. There were times when I would attempt to get back on track, I failed. 

There's a few things that led to where I find myself today. 

1. My keto diet during show prep last year primed my body for quick regain. And I wasn't careful to avoid it. After my show I took a break from the gym and basically binged on whatever foods I wanted. Zero regard for nutrition. That slippery slope is hard to come back from. 

2. I went through a divorce. Although it was amicable, it wasn't easy and it's still something I am working through emotionally. I am an emotional eater so when I felt stressed or guilty or anything I would fill myself with sweets and processed junk for a temporary good feeling. 

3. I worked two jobs. Ok I'm still working two jobs. But tax season was busy for me this year. I used it as an excuse to skip the gym and grab fast food meals between jobs. As an accountant I sit most the day anyway, adding additional work hours, more food, less activity.. It's really a recipe for disaster. 

So, I failed. I failed to keep off the weight I fought so hard to lose. But I'm ready to get back on it. I'm tired of feeling sluggish and icky. When I do workout I fatigue quickly. I know I've lost a good bit of strength. So I've made a couple decisions and set some goals. I'm going to blog real time weightloss. I'll start on June 1 with a current photo. I'll record what I eat and what workouts I do and every week I'll update my photo. 

I'll be taking weights and measurements as well. I may or may not post those right away. I probably will, it's more motivation for me to stay on track and have changes week to week. 

My goals right now:

1. Resume consistent workouts to build muscle and lose fat 

2. Get down to a comfortable maintenance weight and maintain for 6+ months 

3. Compete in another figure show 

First step is getting back on track and down to a healthy weight again. I'm ready to do this. 

Peanut butter Marshmallow French toast

Hello fitfam!  I'm about to start 3 weeks of keto. Which means I'm saying goodbye to carbs for a few weeks until I carb load for my show. So I decided to make myself some french toast as a farewell to carbs.  I'm not going to lie.. it was AMAZING. 

I'm going to share the basic recipe as well as the toppings I chose to use so the macros will be for exactly what you see pictured: 

Ingredients:

1 whole egg (large)

1/4 cup egg whites

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

2 slices whole wheat bread (I used Sara Lee, you can substitute any bread you like but the macros will change)

Toppings:

2 tablespoons natural peanut butter

2 tablespoons Waldon Farms marshmallow fruit dip

1 tablespoon Waldon Farms strawberry syrup

Directions:

Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a wide shallow bowl. Preheat a skillet to medium/medium high heat. Lay one piece of bread in the egg mixture letting it soak it up, flip it letting the other side soak up some mixture. Place the bread in the skillet, flip after about 1-2 minutes (once the egg mixture is cooked on that side)  While piece 1 is cooking, start soaking piece #2 in the egg mixture, it should soak up pretty much all the egg mixture. (So you're getting ALL the protein from the eggs) 

Once piece #1 is cooked transfer it to your plate and layer 1 tablespoon of peanut butter and 1 tablespoon of marshmallow dip.  Cook the second piece like the first.  And lay it on top of the first piece.  Add your layers of peanut butter and marshmallow dip. Drizzle a tablespoon of Waldon farms strawberry syrup on top and ENJOY!

Macros for my recipe:

Calories:426

Fat: 22g

Carbs: 34

Fiber: 8

Sugar: 7

Protein: 27

Diet.. It's always a struggle

I hear it so often, and I've been through the struggle myself, I can get to the gym but I struggle with my diet.  Everyone is always looking for the secret to avoiding temptation or not craving "bad foods." Well.. the secret is willpower.  I will share some tips for keeping on track but ultimately it comes down to the choices you (and only you) will make for yourself.  Here's a little story from my day today:

I'm 3 weeks out from my debut show and I'm not quite where I want to be yet.  I'm not sure I'll get there in 3 weeks, but I'll get as close as I can.  I plan and track my food diligently but I'm human. I have cravings and sometimes I give in, most times I don't.  At work this morning, having eaten my breakfast before and snack 3 hours later, I still felt hungry.  I walked down to the vending machine and looked at my options.  I have a few calories to play with today, often my food doesn't come out EXACT to my calorie goal. I have 12-15g of protein, 6g of carbs left.  Nothing in the machine suits what I have available. So I walked away.

As I stared blankly into the vending machine I told myself "3 weeks.. you have 3 weeks to burn as much fat as you can before your stage debut. Nothing in this machine is going to help you do that."

I've been dieting for almost 4 years. Part of that has made me better at saying no to things I shouldn't have and part of that has left me wanting to just go eat food without considering the macros or what it's going to do to my body. It's a double edged sword and there's always a struggle between making a healthy choice and choosing convenience or just deciding, you know what? I'm going to eat a candy bar today.  For most people making that choice is fine.  One candy bar isn't going to make or break you.  I could've bought something, justifying that 3 weeks isn't enough time to make a change.. But I know that isn't true.  And to make a change everything has to be on point.

I'm trying to get extraordinarily lean so I don't have the flexibility I'm used to. I still get to get foods I like, luckily I don't mind healthy foods. :)
This process is not for everyone. I knew going in that it was going to test me. I think I've handled it all pretty well. Though I'm not sure how my experience on the stage will be, I've already started thinking past the stage. Carefully reverse dieting to avoid excessive weight gain and looking ahead to the next show I might do.

I'm not immune to cravings. I love sweets. I love to bake.. I stopped doing a lot of baking when I got really serious about getting back in shape.  Now I bake healthier recipes and find ways to satisfy sweet cravings without a lot of added sugars keeping either carbs or fats low.

So let's get to some tips for keeping on track

1. Have a cheat meal every 1-2 weeks.

I said A cheat MEAL.  Not a cheat DAY.  One meal. Don't eat yourself sick, but use it to eat something you've been craving.  This serves 2 purposes. First, the increase in calories will boost your metabolism. (more calories in means the body has to burn more to keep up).  Second, it keeps you sane. If you know you have a cheat meal coming every week or two, it's a lot easier to turn down tempting offers for naughty foods and you're much less likely to go crazy and binge.

2. Make sure you are eating enough day-day.

You have NO idea how sad it makes me to see girls eating 1000-1200 calories a day. Especially if they have a lot of weight to lose or are killing it in the gym.  You NEED to fuel your body.  The idea is to eat as much as you can and still lose weight.  Not cut calories as drastically as you can.  As the boost in calories from your cheat meal boosts metabolism, your metabolism adapts to your calorie cut as well. The more you cut, the more your metabolism adapts.  DON'T cut yourself from eating 3000 calories to 1200 right away.  It's only going to hurt you in the end.   **Trust me.. I did this to myself.. more than once!  It's not the right way and your results will not last cause you can't keep that up forever**

3. Find healthy alternatives

Craving chocolate?  Try mixing chocolate protein powder with greek yogurt for a protein packed chocolate treat.

Pancakes? Get some mancakes and waldon farms calorie free syrup.  Or make your own healthy version with oat flour (blend up oats) and egg whites.
Mancakes can be bought  here
Waldon farms makes TONS of calorie free products check them out here (My grocery store carries several of their syrups, sauces and marshmallow dip!)

Just want something sweet?  Try fruit instead of candy. Check out my protein fluff for a protein packed ice cream like treat right here

Check out http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/ For a TON of healthy recipes.  I LOVE her site. I get a lot of ideas from there.

4. Get accountability/Support system

Tell somebody your goals. It will make you more likely to stick to them.  Also if you find yourself craving something you can talk to those who you shared your goals with.  I know I have some friends that have been instrumental in keeping me on track.  When you're having an off day, these people will remind you how awesome you are doing and why you don't want to revert to old ways. There are going to be days that you just don't feel like working out or you really want to eat something processed and bad for you.  Your support system will help you stay on track OR get back on track after you've given in.

5. Remember you are human.

Perfection doesn't exist. You're not going to look like the photoshopped people in magazines and you're going to have slip ups, days you can't get to the gym or other obstacles.  The key is to accept these and move on. Everyday is a new opportunity to make better choices, workout a little harder and get closer to your goals.  This is a lifestyle, there's no finish line.

What I ate today. High carb day.

Hello there fitfam. So a little update. I've been hard at work (at my job and the gym) things are progressing slowly. I am carb cycling currently. Today is a refeed/high carb day so here's what I ate. 

Meal 1 

I made baked French toast with 1 egg, 2 egg whites and the wheat bread. 

Meal 2

Meal 3

Ok. I got a little hungry and forgot to take a picture. But this meal is pretty self explanatory. :) 

Meal 4 

 

I think I've posted the truffle recipe on my Instagram.. I intend to post more recipes here for easier access. If you want to

See this one (or any others) comment below and I'll add it to my list. 

Meal 5 

Meal 6 

And meal 7 (the Casein logged in with meal 6.. My fitness pal only has 6 meals) 

Casein pudding. 

To recap, I eat every 2-3 hours. The casein pudding I ate right before bed. I'm also putting my daily totals below so you can see how it all adds up at the end of the day.  I'm wrapping up my super busy time at work so I plan on posting a lot more often. If you have questions or things you'd like to see. Leave me a comment. 

11 weeks out again

Figure Competition Prep Update!!

OK first.. I need to get a better way to take my progress pictures.. I'll work on that this week :)

No, you are not experiencing Deja Vu.  We are 11 weeks out.. (Actually 10 weeks 5 days or something.. but yes.. we have more time). Originally my trainer and I discussed doing a show in April.  That was our goal. Well as time progressed and my body is slowly losing fat we have reevaluated our plan and decided that the April show is not ideal for my first show. For a couple reasons. 1. It's a HUGE show and upon discussion with another coach/competitor it was recommended that it's not an ideal first show. 

I definitely want to enjoy this experience and that means feeling prepared and not being overwhelmed during the show. We decided what had been our "back up" show would be a better first show for me. 

The other reason 2. Since I am progressing a bit slower than we would like the April show was more stress on us both.

Again we want to enjoy this and perhaps continue competing for a while to come so killing myself trying to drip 10-15 pounds in 7 weeks was just not the game plan either of us thought would be the best. 

So we are now focused on the Heartland Classic May 23rd. That's goal 1.  In addition to that show. We also will be competing at Muscle Mayhem June 6th.  These are 2 different organizations so we can get a feel for each one and determine where we want to go from there.  

One thing I want to stress is that it's hard to plan weight loss. Believe me.. I am a planner.. I have spreadsheets and charts outlined with how I thought this process should go.  Sometimes your body has other plans. When you ask your body to do something it's never done before.. well, it doesn't always comply. As much as I really hate to report to all my supporters that I just wasn't going to be ready to compete when I originally wanted to, I know this is a temporary setback.

I will keep going. I will still compete and I will look amazing on stage.  I'm far from perfect. (And still will be when I compete) But, I will look the best I have ever looked.  I will be leaner than I have ever been. I will enjoy the experience and hopefully inspire you to do something outside of your comfort zone. Go for something you've always wanted to do.  Nothing is off limits. It's never too late to chase your dreams. Things don't always go according to plan.. so change the plan. 

 Keep moving forward! 

Casein protein truffles

Hi Everyone,

I am seriously the worst at keeping up with things! Really I am an accountant first (that's what pays the bills) and we are in the midst of busy season. Meaning I Work, Eat, Train, Sleep. I am having trouble finding time for much else. Of course EAT is one of the things I MUST do.. And I really enjoy that too. :)  So of course with eating comes cooking/preparing.  So I have a couple recipes I've tried that I want to share.  The one today is Casein protein truffles.  

If you are like me, you love chocolate.  Does anyone not love chocolate?! But clearly having a box of Russell Stovers or a bag of mini Reece's PB cups is not in the plan right now. Sooooooooooo.. I improvise.  Luckily there are some genious people in the world who create and share recipes for those of us that are a bit challenged in the kitchen. And this one is adapted from Proteinpow.com is already a favorite.  I've made them twice this week.  (and drooled over her website for days and days)  

So first these are a snap to make.. if you can mix, and roll "dough" you've got the necessary skills. Did I mention I am challenged in the kitchen? :) If I can make it, a 5 year old can.. but seriously, you could make the kids make these for you.. if you trust they won't eat them. 

Ingredients: 

1 scoop Casein Protein (I used chocolate of course but any flavor would work)

1/2 tablespoon of coconut flour (I might have used a touch more)

2-4 tablespoons of almond milk (or milk of choice)  

about a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder for coating the truffles

(at Proteinpow.com they dip these in dark chocolate.. so that's an option too)

I started with 2 tablespoons of milk, mixed and then added a bit more until you get a consistency which will form a ball but isn't TOO wet. (if you add too much milk, add a little more Casein or coconut flour) 

Procedure:

1. Add dry ingredients to a bowl

2. Add almond milk

3. Mix

4. Form into 4-5 balls. I did 4 as you can see below

5. Roll the balls in cocoa powder

6. Chill in the fridge 20 minutes or so.

7. Enjoy the deliciousness!

(if you wanted to dip these in chocolate, I would chill after step 4, melt the chocolate, then dip and chill again to set the chocolate)

I made these before work and brought them as my afternoon snack/pre-workout so my plating is phenomenal.   Ninja turtle containers, hell yeah!!  (Yay 80s kids!!) .. But for the record my husband bought these ok. :) 

Macros for the WHOLE recipe using cocoa powder

Calories: 160

Fat: 2.5g

Carbs: 10g (2.5g of fiber, 5g of sugar)

Protein: 25g

Do you want to get fit?

It occurs to me that although I'm not a dietitian or certified trainer, and some people don't want advice from me, I do have experience gaining and losing weight. I've tried countless diets, yo-yoing a bit with my weight and struggling to find something that works.  I know what it's like to be at rock bottom and really want (and really need) to change.  That's why I put myself out there. I share pictures of myself, my food, my workouts. The good the bad and the ugly. (ok we all try to limit the bad and the ugly) I get a lot of questions which I want to start to answer more in depth in this blog.  I try to answer all the questions I get on instagram but I also can't write a TON on there, which is one reason I started this blog.  A question I get often is, How did you start?  I know there are a lot of people out there who want to make a change but they don't really know how.  It's not hard really, but it is confusing. There is a lot of information out on the web. A lot of it is free. Who do you listen to? Who has the right answers?  That's the tricky part.  There is no right way to lose weight.  There is NO magic food(s).  Believe me when I say I tried almost everything to lose weight. Meal replacement shakes, cleanses, calorie counting, severe calorie cutting, working out but failing to control my diet... Sometimes I would have a little bit of success. But the weight almost always came back, often I gained more. I've learned a lot over the years and I am still learning. I failed a lot but I also succeeded.

I'm going to share with you what I would do if I had to do it all over (with the knowledge I have now). If tomorrow morning I found myself at a morbidly obese 249 pounds again.

1. Calculate my maintenance calories and cut 500 calories from that number/figure out macros.

I have no idea where the "magic" 1200 calorie diet came from. But that little number sure did get around everywhere. Matter of fact at 249 lbs I was eating closer to 1000 calories a day. And I lost NOTHING. It's really really important that you don't drop calories too severely. It's a common mistake to think that the less you eat the more you'll lose. Sadly it doesn't work like that.  You'll just suffer, put your body into panic/starvation mode and probably binge your way to a higher weight. So determine a reasonable caloric intake for your current height, weight, activity level and start eating a balanced diet. I use the calculator at iifym.com Good nutrition, in my opinion, the key to being successful.  I personally LOVE counting macros, and though it takes some getting used to. It really makes the difference in a "diet" and a lifestyle change.

2. Start resistance training 3 times a week.

Assuming you're not working out right now, you don't want to over do it.  I actually started doing a Jillian Michaels DVD 30 day shred
http://www.amazon.com/Jillian-Michaels-30-Day-Shred/dp/B00127RAJY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424464248&sr=8-1&keywords=30+day+shred
and I committed to doing it for 30 days. I did it. But I'm not sure I was really ready to do 30 days of exercise with no rest.  I never got off level 1 in that time frame either. Over doing your workouts is a sure fire way to exhaust yourself and get burnt out.  So start slow.  Make a commitment and stick with it. You don't have to join a gym. There are plenty of DVDs and online videos so that you can start at home. (Body weight is resistance, you don't have to add weights right off the bat) I personally wasn't all that comfortable in a gym. However, I do want to say I never ever heard one negative comment toward me or anyone else at the gym. I'm not going to guarantee you won't run into some asshole that says something stupid, they are out there, but for the most part I have found all fitness levels at the gym are pretty accepting of everyone else. Remember that most people at the gym are just there to workout and they could care less what you are doing. So just go and do your thing.

3. Do cardio twice a week.

I hate cardio. I have always hated running. I'm slow. It's just not my thing. But I feel like I could've had better fat loss had I not skimped on the cardio. It doesn't have to be running. You can walk, jog, do intervals of walking/jogging, elliptical, stair master.  Whatever you do.. just get that heart rate up for 30-45 minutes.  Don't start off doing too much or when you need to increase your cardio.. you'll be doing a LOT.

4. Join some fitness groups or find friends who are interested in making a change.

This is hard to do and going it alone, while totally possible, can be tough. I started my instagram as a way to stay accountable to my workouts. I posted every single time I worked out. And even the support of complete strangers was a form of motivation. I've also met some amazing people through instagram. Never underestimate the power of a social media as a way to keep motivated and accountable.  There are a ton of amazing transformations out there. I found it very motivating during my journey, and I still do!  I also joined some facebook challenges. When I did that I saw great results because I was more motivated to make a noticeable change. (And a prize isn't bad motivation either)

5. Be patient!

I maybe should have included this as point number 2. Because I think next to good nutrition, this is very important. You're not going to lose 10 pounds a week.  That would be awesome. But it's not realistic, healthy or safe. Weight loss that rapid often results in a rebound. Aim for 1-2 pounds a week for healthy, maintainable results. Not to mention, losing weight at a rapid pace will likely leave you with skin hanging off your bones. (Another really popular question I get is about loose skin) Although it was frustrating to take so long to lose my weight (2.5 years to lose 100 pounds). I am thankful that my slow, steady weight loss allowed my skin to bounce back pretty well.  I do have stretch marks and some excess skin but it's really minimal and easily covered by pretty much all my clothing. I can even wear a bikini and not be too self conscious. It's a difficult journey physically and mentally and you want to end up feeling good in your skin again, so don't rush it!

So this got long fast, so I'll wrap it up.  I will elaborate on some of these topics in additional individual posts. I you have comments or suggestions, please leave them below. I plan on blogging as close to daily as possible so I will be responding to comments timely and using suggestions/questions for post topics.  Thank you all for your support it really means a lot. And I love hearing from you about weight loss or weight lifting success!

Still at it..

Yikes. Where have I been? It's been weeks since I posted! I've been hard at work. (Literally) I am in public accounting and it's busy season. I've still been hitting the gym, counting macros, meal prepping. All that fun stuff! So let's see. Here's we are, closing in on 9 weeks out from my target. We just did progress measurements and well.. There wasn't much progress. *heavy sigh*. This isn't easy. For anyone. I consider myself a pretty hardworking and dedicated person. I'm not going to say I've never cheated or missed my macros but I follow that 90/10 rule. I lift heavy. And yet my body fat seems like it really wants to stick around. I'm frustrated. I'm even a little pissed off. (Can you be pissed off at your own body fat??) 

We are making some adjustments to my diet and training. If we don't see some major change in the next 4 weeks.. Well my first planned show will no longer be an option. It's painful to admit that. In part I feel like I am failing. But you never really fail until you give up. And that's just not happening. This is important to me and I will compete this year. I'll also be a little better at posting in here. I wanted to document this journey.. So I better do that! The good the bad and the ugly. If it happens, it shall be written. I'm going to post up some of my recent pictures. I've still been taking progress shots weekly. I've selected a bikini to use so it will make them more easily comparable now. I've dated the pictures instead of using weeks since my show date is a big uncertain. If you have things you want to know or see during this process leave a comment. I'll be doing some short videos and recipes on my Instagram (and maybe longer videos if I can post here). I may eventually get a youtube.. We will see

Will post again on Saturday after I take my next set of pictures and talk about my new diet and training. If not sooner. I'm going to try to get in here more often and jot down my thoughts as I go through this process. 

 

How IIFYM changed my life

This sounds silly to say, but finding out about IIFYM (if it fits your macros aka flexible dieting) really changed my life. Something I obviously struggled with was balance. I really really love food. And I can EAT! I used to eat alone sometimes because I was so heavy I didn't want to be the fat girl seen eating so much food. Now If I'm going to pig out, I feel so much more confident. And I like for people to see/know that I eat pizza, cookies, cupcakes.. In moderation. I get a lot of questions about what I eat, and though my macros are specific to what works for me and my training and goals, I tell people. Because I eat more than 1000 or 1200 calories a day. I WANT people to understand the importance of food as fuel. I don't want people starving themselves as I did and so many people do. I see so many people "dieting" eating only salad.. No protein. Or something like my favorite "taco salad" from Jason's deli that's a 1500 calorie salad. Yikes!

I digress.. Let's get back to iifym. It taught me the importance of fueling your body. It taught me about nutrition. I started seeing amazing results when I figured this out.

Let's address some common questions: 

1. What's a macro?

I get this question on Instagram a lot. Macro is short for macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, fat). So IIFYM is a "diet" (I hate that word) designed around a target number of carbohydrates, proteins and fat. It's that simple. And you need all three of these. Or I should say your body needs all three. I think any diet plan that cuts out any of these (excluding a medical necessity) really just sets you up for failure. Eventually you'll want to eat those foods again.  You will probably binge or it will make you physically ill or you'll pack on all the weight you lost.  Whatever happens, it's just not a great plan. I'm not saying you should eat a pop tart everyday. But if you're going to a party you can have a piece of cake without guilt or ruining your diet. You just fit those treats in to your macros and no problem. 

2. Isn't tracking macros a pain? 

No! That's the beauty of it. Ok there's a trick to it. I use myfitnesspal. When I log my food it tracks the macros. Yay! That's the easy part. The tricky part at first is hitting those targets. So you need 120g of protein, how do you get that? You'll read a lot of labels and learn a lot about what you are putting in your body. That's for sure. And I highly recommend planning your entire day out in advance. Believe me. Eating an egg and a tablespoon of peanut butter for dinner to finish out your macros is a bit weird. But it happens. 

3. What do I eat? How much do I eat? 

I calculate my macros using the free calculator at iifym.com It's a great tool to use to get started. But there's a trail and error factor. Some people do great on higher carbs. Others not so much. It's all about finding what works for your body and your lifestyle. As far as what kinds of food.. Anything! Chicken, steak, pork, salmon, tuna, tilapia, eggs, egg whites, tofu (if you want), fruits, veggies, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, oats, sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, wheat bread... I generally avoid white rice and white breads and try to avoid "junk" foods except for 1 cheat a week. Always go for whole grains and leaner protein when you can. 

If you have any questions about iifym or training or anything, leave me a comment below.