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.

Ketogenic diet

I wanted to share my experience with a Ketogenic diet. About 7 weeks out from my show with my body not responding to the macros I was on at the time, my trainer decided to try a ketogenic diet with me (Keto).  Ketogenic diet is a high fat low carb diet.  Protein is also kept pretty low.  I went from having protein be 40-50% of my diet to about 20% and fats going from 20-30% to 65-80%.  Carbs dropped to 0-5%. 

Obviously this was a MAJOR change to my diet. I’m generally pretty capable of switching things up and keeping my diet interesting while keeping it within certain macros. But honestly, the first couple days I had NO idea how to put together a decent meal on this type of macro split.  I literally ate ground beef with ranch dressing on it.  My coworkers would wait for me to heat up my lunch just to see what kind of random stuff I was eating that day. (Before they left to go enjoy taco bell or burger king or Gates BBQ)

After a few days of trolling the internet for Keto recipes (thank you internet), I was able to actually put together something more resembling a meal. I happen to enjoy braunschweiger (liver sausage) and found that it was a perfect food for this diet.  Also I could eat lots of cheese, pepperoni, salami, make mini no bake cheesecakes. It seemed awesome.. for the first week.  To be honest eating mostly fat gets pretty icky after a while. Though I managed to find some low carb “bread” and muffins, mainly used to deliver butter to my mouth, they weren’t very flavorful and eating butter isn’t as great as it sounds.

We followed ketogenic diet for 2 weeks. Then we reintroduced carbs into my diet. It was kind of like a really big carb cycle, 2 weeks low, 2 weeks high.  We finished my prep with 3 weeks low carb. By the final 3 weeks I had become pretty proficient at making high fat meals but I was getting really tired of eating them.

At the end of the process I don’t even feel that this diet was all that effective.  The first 2 weeks we saw decent change, after that it leveled out and stayed that way for the duration. 

Following my prep, my trainer attended a seminar where ketogenic diet was discussed. It’s shown that the long term health risks of this type of diet far outweigh any short term benefit.  The thing with this type of diet is, it was first developed for short term use in morbidly obese patients in order to get them down to a weight that offered less risk for gastric surgery.

My personal opinion after being on the diet is, it cannot possibly be healthy. Eating mostly fat it’s really hard NOT to eat a bunch of high sodium processed foods.  To keep the protein and carb in take down you can’t eat a lot of whole, close to nature foods.  I love cheese as much as the next person.. but I don’t believe that should be a major part of a healthy diet.

Of course there are people who would disagree with my assessment that a balanced diet is better than a ketogenic diet. There will always be differing opinions. I feel like carbs always get such a bad rap. As I study to get my personal training certificate and eventually a nutrition certification, I look forward to learning more about how the body responds to certain macro splits and different theories on nutrition. Fitness and healthy lifestyles are always changing, there are new developments all the time and you have to constantly change and push yourself to continue to be successful.  As I near the beginning of my next prep, I am anxious to see how this goes the second time around. I plan on documenting more thoroughly how my body responds to the process and how you can get lean on a balanced diet that includes carbs.

4 weeks to go!

It's been several weeks since I did a show update.  I've been working away.  We made diet changes doing a Keto/traditional split cycle.. almost like extreme carb cycling, 2 weeks low following by 2 weeks moderate/high.  I just finished the first week of moderate/high carbs. I missed my carbs.  I'm avoiding breads/pastas, sticking with oats, sweet potato, corn, and green things (green beans, celery, cucumbers etc)

The hardest part by far is getting enough sleep.  I didn't realize how important sleep was and it's SO SO hard for me to get everything done and still get 8 hours. As I type this I have about 30 minutes to get to sleep to get 8 and I don't have my food planned out for tomorrow at all!  I pride myself on being pretty organized and getting everything done. This process will test you mentally, physically and emotionally.  It's stressful.  There are a LOT of things to do. I have a busy life already and this adds a lot to it.  I really enjoy pushing myself in the gym.  I think the most difficult part for me is really planning all the food. Planning it all and prepping all my meals, it's time consuming. It's absolutely worth it, but I think I need to have a little less variety.  Some is nice but too much is just more work.

Continued.. When I typed the above it was almost a week ago. Juggling contest prep and family is no easy task. I'm sure I will get the hang of it with each additional show but for now it's pretty tough. This takes a lot of commitment. I will say though, going through this process has proved to me that you CAN do anything you set your mind to.  A few years ago I "couldn't" find time to get in a workout or prep a meal. I lived off fast food and watched TV for hours a day. This has truly showed me that it's all about choices and priorities. I've come a long way.. I have a long way to go. But I'm getting closer everyday.  4 weeks to show 1.. 6 weeks to show 2.  It's going to get harder from here, but I'm ready to soak it all in.  

5 week out posing practice 

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

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. 

 

Q&A Sexy Arm workouts

I get a lot of questions on Instagram about my arms.

 I think every woman wants to feel comfortable showing off lean sexy arms. But a lot of us suffer from the dreaded arm "wing."  I have good news and bad news related to ridding yourself of the wing. The bad news is, you can't spot reduce fat. I can't choose to focus on my arms and lose fat JUST from there. To reduce fat you need to have good nutrition and reduce overall body fat and it should get to your trouble area (eventually). 

The good news is, weight lifting and targeting your shoulders, biceps and triceps will give your arms a sexy shape and they are much less likely to be flabby weak spaghetti arms. 

So what types of exercises should you do to get lean sexy arms?  Here's some examples of some exercises I do for my arms. 

If you have any questions on these you can check out bodybuilding.com or even YouTube for examples. Form is important when lifting to avoid injury, so take care to make sure you're lifting properly. 

Biceps:

1. Cable curl - I use a straight bar to do mine. 

2. Alternating Dumb Bell curl - I prefer alternating as I feel I am more controlled

3. Dumb bell hammer curls - can be done on the cable machine using the rope too. 

4. Dumb bell incline curls - great stretch and range of motion on these!! 

Triceps:

1. Barbell skull crusher - keep your elbows in close 

2. Rope push down - push your arms all the way straight with each rep 

3. Lying dumb bell extension - I do these each arm individually for better control

4. Dips - can be modified for any fitness level.

Shoulders: 

1. Dumb bell shoulder press - basic but effective. This is one I do almost every shoulder day. 

2. Rear delt fly - controlled movements, no swinging weights 

3. Lateral raise - again don't swing the weights 

4. Cable high row - pull toward your face which targets the back part of the shoulder

For ALL of these exercises you should choose a weight where the last few weights burn and you are close to failure with the last rep. You want to change your body, you must challenge yourself.  And of course follow a good nutrition plan to lose that layer of fat and show off those sexy sculpted arms. 

Happy lifting. 

 

Holiday party eating survival tips.

Holidays mean holiday parties and gatherings. I get to celebrate Christmas at least 4 times and also have a work party to attend. Then comes New Years Eve. With all these opportunities for yummy food and drink, it can be tough to not just completely let your nutrition go south until the new year. But some of us have goals we are working toward and we don't want to set ourselves back by ditching the diet for two or three weeks. And let's be honest, if you do completely abandon healthy eating for three weeks, It's going to be a tough transition getting back on track in January. So here's a few tips on surving holiday gatherings without packing on extra pounds. 

1. Leave some extra macros!

First and foremost. You know you are not going to go to a party and eat nothing. Where is the fun in that?!  Sure you could socialize more and eat less but most likely you're going to eat.  And if it's a dinner party and not just appetizers it's even more awkward to just not eat. So plan ahead. Even if you're not sure of the menu, leave extra macros! 

2. Don't show up starving 

We all are more likely to over eat if we are famished. So eat a snack before you get there. A handful of nuts is a quick, easy and portable option. A little fat and protein to curb that hunger before to show up. 

3. Go for protein and veggies first.

We all know most holiday parties have tons of sweets. Don't fill up on sugary carbs. Go for healthier options first. If it's a potluck event, bring a healthier dish so you know you have at least one good option. Save a little room for something sweet. If you fill up on protein and veggies you'll be less likely to eat a ton of those Christmas cookies. 

4. Don't rush through eating. 

Eat slowly. Chew your food. Taste it and enjoy it. I find if I am eating something "bad" if I take a small portion and eat that in smaller bites it seems more satisfying. So instead of eating 5 cookies, eat one. In small bites and savor it. 

5. Get your workout in  

If you know you have a party that evening. Get a workout in earlier in the day. Burn some calories before you go. If you know you're probably going to eat a bit more, don't skip your workout. 

6. Watch high calorie beverages. 

Personally, I'd rather eat my calories than drink them. Drinking wine (or other alcoholic beverages), eggnog, holiday inspired lattes and pop can really add on a lot if extra calories in a hurry. Be mindful of what you are drinking as well as what you are eating. Go for water when you can. Add some lemon, cucumber or flavor enhancers if you want to switch up the flavor. 

7. Enjoy yourself. 

While it's really hard to stay on your diet this time of year, keep in mind 1 or 2 or 3 parties over a week or two isn't going to undo everything you have done. If 7 days out of 14 you're following your plan. Those 3 parties shouldn't completely ruin you. So enjoy! (In moderation) 

8. Keep moving forward. 

Each new day is a new opportunity. So you ate your body weight in sugary baked goodies last night. So what. The past is in the past. You can't undo it, but you can make better choices today. You can go to the gym and it a healthy balanced diet. Don't just give up because you had one bad day. (Or two or three). Quiting will not help you reach your goal any faster. 

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. 

Homemade protein bars

Yay. I'm finally posting about food.

A lot of the recipes I post are going to be based around the macros I follow during the various stages of my prep. These can be modified to fit various macros. 

So I'm not a big fan of oatmeal. I like it dry (not too runny) and I'm often in a rush in the morning so sitting down to enjoy a nice hot bowl of oatmeal isn't often in the cards. I also get a some protein with breakfast. I discovered a quick and convenient way to get both of these each morning. Below is my homemade protein breakfast bar (would also be great post workout) 

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup of oats 

Scoop of whey (I'm using 2/3 of a scoop of 1st phorm Level1)

Water (peanut butter or honey/agave could also be used if your macros allow) 

Process

1. Dump your oats and whey in a bowl. 

2. Add enough water (or peanut butter and/or honey) just for it to stick together. Stir it. I used a few tablespoons of water. Add just a little at a time cause you don't want to over do it. It should look like this when you're done. (You could also just stop here and eat this. It's delish!) 

3. Pack it into a container lined with parchment paper. (This could also be rolled into balls for little snacks) 

4. Put it in the fridge several hours. I do mine overnight. 

In the morning. Grab and enjoy

You could also double, triple the recipe and make a few days worth. Just bag them up so they dont get too dry. 

Macros for my recipe: 

Calories: 243

Fat: 5g

Carbs: 30g

Protein: 22g

How I lost 100 pounds

I'll try to keep this post a concise yet as detailed as possible.

June 2011: I took that "before" picture in a bikini that I shouldn't have been wearing. I did not wear that outside the house, EVER. I weighed 249lbs. I was absolutely disgusted with myself. What I see in those pictures is not what I saw in the mirror. And it wasn't at all a reflection of how I felt. But that number on the scale and seeing myself in pictures were big factors in my motivation to change.

So I started trying to watch what I ate. I tried to be more active, but I didn't really have a plan so my progress was pretty slow. Here is when I tried something that did not work at all. Isagenix. If you haven't heard of it, it's a meal replacement "detox" multilevel marketing weight loss  product. It's not cheap but I decided my health was worth it. Then I learned what a mistake it was. On the isagenix plan they suggest a shake for breakfast, another shake for lunch and a 400-600 calorie dinner.  So on this plan I ate 900 to 1100 calories a day. DO NOT DO THIS. I was starving myself. Cutting calories that drastically will not help you lose weight. It will kill your metabolism and put your body into starvation mode. 

So for 6 weeks I starved myself. At the same time I was doing workout DVDs at home 6 days a week and working hard. The first week I lost 4 lbs, the next 5 weeks I lost nothing. Not a damn thing. I was crushed. I didn't understand what was going wrong. Why I wasn't losing 10 lbs a week like people on tv.  This is when I went to see my first trainer (fall of 2011) She was amazing! I absolutely couldn't have lost the weight without her. She told me I should be eating twice as much as I was. I changed my eating, worked out with her every couple weeks and got down to 220. Then I found out I was pregnant. 

January 2012: I continued working out but not as strenuously and focused on eating healthy.  I lifted weights, did yoga, Zumba and even the dreaded cardio machines. September 2012 had my youngest daughter. Weighed in around 200 after giving birth. I felt pretty accomplished and motivated to keep going. 

So after I was released to start working out. I resumed training. I still struggled with my diet. I also lacked discipline to workout between training sessions. Working with 2 kids at home, finding the time to workout was tough. I quit the gym I was going to and stopped seeing my trainer. I joined a gym with a child watch room hoping that would help. But I still struggled to actually go and I hit a 6 month plateau. I discovered Instagram more during this period and was inspired by weight loss success stories. I wanted to be one too. 

In April 2013 I joined a Facebook challenge to lose weight. I was more conscious of my diet and got a bit more active I lost some weight,but I didn't see a lot of change. I was calorie counting and getting some results, but I hadn't really figured out nutrition. That summer I discovered bikini body mommy (@bikinibodymommy) . A program by personal trainer Briana Christine. She has a free 90 day workout program that can be done at home. (She actually is working on here third challege)  I did her program and around the same time I discovered IIFYM (flexible dieting). Here is my day 1/day 90 photo 

During that 90 days. I really developed a love of fitness. It was so hard but I wanted to keep doing it. I felt so accomplished when I could do more reps or go faster or decrease my time on "mommy death march" (100 walking lunges in 4 minutes or less).

It was toward the end of that 90 days I started going to the gym more. I was a little intimidated by the weights so I would go in and do cardio. Maybe try a machine or two. Then I found a weightlifting program online. It was during this time when seeing a trainer initially really helped me mentally. Her words of encouragement during our time together stuck with me. I would talk myself through the struggles. "You can do this" always repeating in my mind. That fall, I found the awesome Zoe Rodriguez (IG @zoelivelovelift) who helped me more with my nutrition and her 12 week weight lifting programs are awesome and really reasonably priced. I continued weight training and iifym and hit that 100lb mark in early 2014.  The day I hit that mark was full of emotions. I was so excited to do a comparison photo. I felt very accomplished. I reached a major milestone. Yet I also felt a lot of negative feelings when looking at that before picture. I was reluctant to post my accomplishment online. I feared hearing criticisms, that's a topic for another time. I did post it though. I have found the positive far outweighs the negative. I've since been honored to be able to inspire and offer advice to others struggling with weight loss. My number 1 piece of advice: Never give up. You can do this!