Tag Archives: AshleyKfit

8 Weeks to 40 – Week 7 Recap & Change of Plans

FitQuestMom Abs Day 50 10.26.15 Wk7

Date:  10/26/15

Height: 5’8 3/4″

Weight: 134.8 (down 0.5lb from last week; 9.0lb total)

Last Week’s Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1555 calories 125C / 140P / 55F

Friday 1792 calories 190C / 150P / 48F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1562 calories 106C / 145P / 62F (rest day)

This Week’s Macros:

Time to increase…I’ll explain in the comments below.

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1595 calories 130C / 145P / 55F

Friday 1832 calories 195C / 155P / 48F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1578 calories 110C / 145P / 62F (rest day)

Workout Plan:

I am still doing Ashley Kaltwasser’s (aka AshleyKfit) Glute & Ab Program.  At the end of this week I will decide if I will do the same workout one more week or if I will begin my next workout program.  I just purchased Jessie Hilgenberg’s Muscle Building e-book (her e-books are $5 off now through Halloween with code NOTRICKSHERE) and am excited to begin her workouts (LOVE her).

Comments:

I planned on completing an 8 week cut (aka diet) to lean out for my 40th birthday, but I am stopping it at the end of week 7.  Below is Day 1 vs. Day 50:

Gretchen Tseng FitQuestMom 8 Weeks to 40 years old

FitQuestMom Day 50 Collage Blog 10.26.15

People always ask me how you know when to end a cut (if there isn’t a particular date or show you are working toward) and I always tell them that they will just know.  I am glad I have reached the point where I do not need to achieve a certain scale weight to know I have reached my goal…I know by how I look when I see myself in the mirror, how my clothes fit, and how I feel in general.  Something just told me that it was time to stop.

This was a 50 day process for me and as you can see I only dropped 9.0lbs, but I feel my physical transformation was somewhat significant.

Last year I completed a cut as well and really like the graphic below because it shows me 1 year apart (top pictures were 10/23/2014 and bottom pictures 10/20/2015) and at the SAME EXACT WEIGHT. My weight in the top pictures was 134.1 and in the bottom I weighed in at 134.2 (crazy how close those weights are).

FitQuestMom before and after 10.23.14 vs. 10.20.15

Again, SAME WEIGHT one year apart and I think I look very different. I actually have a little bit of a booty now in the bottom pictures (hard to see due to lighting) which I worked HARD on through my Reverse Diet last year and I don’t look so “flat.” My core is a different shape for sure.  These changes happened slowly, but when you are consistent with your training and your nutrition the changes do happen. Notice I said consistent, not PERFECT all the time. I had mess-ups and vacations mixed in there.

I am excited to begin my 2015 Reverse Diet and hope it is the last one I do.  Last year 13-14 weeks into my Reverse Diet I decided to not track very closely and allowed myself to eat as much as I wanted to.  I didn’t go crazy, but made the conscious decision to eat more than planned and allowed that to push me into a more significant caloric surplus which I consciously used in the gym to fuel HARD workouts in order to try and build more muscle; specifically my booty which was so flat once I completed my cut last year.

This year I want to approach my Reverse Diet differently and maintain my leanness while working to slowly continue to tweak my shape.  I know my body well enough to know that when I Reverse Diet I continue to lean-out (because I increase my calories S-L-O-W-L-Y).  If I were to increase my calories at a more rapid rate this go-around I would put on some body fat like I did last year, however my goal with this Reverse Diet is to maintain the body composition I currently have while increasing my metabolic capacity.  If I lose weight during this Reverse (I did at the beginning of my last Reverse), I will simply make my next caloric increase more rapid.  If I start to put on weight I will hang out at my current calories until my body stabilizes.

I plan on documenting the next 20 weeks of my Reverse Diet for you so you can follow along on the process and see what Reverse Dieting is all about.  I have to admit that Reverse Dieting is fun for those of us eaters out there, but I also feel that it is important to let you know that it is NOT EASY.  Many people would go so far as to say that Reverse Dieting can be much harder than dieting because your metabolism begins to rev-up and you actually get MORE hungry oftentimes than you were when you were dieting to lose fat.

When I Reverse Dieted before and my metabolism increased it was normal for me to sweat at night and get REALLY hungry by the end of the week right before it was time for my next increase.  I find that when you know to expect this it is easier to deal with.

The last time I Reverse Dieted I was not carb-cycling, so I expect that my Friday Refeeds this go around will help me get through that end of the week increase in hunger.

I planned out my 20 week Reverse Diet schedule the same way I do for my clients and if all goes according to plan this will happen:

BEGINNING MACROS:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1595 calories 130C / 145P / 55F

Friday 1832 calories 195C / 155P / 48F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1578 calories 110C / 145P / 62F (rest day)

ENDING MACROS:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 2146 calories 225C / 145P / 72F

Friday 2383 calories 280C / 155P / 65F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 2129 calories 200C / 145P / 79F (rest day)

I am excited to begin this next phase of my fitness journey and even more excited to bring you along with me.  Time to change to a new swimsuit for my Reverse Dieting progress pictures …I am guessing you guys are getting a little sick of the last one…imagine how you will feel after 20 weeks of the next one!

Feel free to ask me questions along the way either on the blog or through Instagram (where I am the most active as fitquestmom).

Happy Monday everyone!

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Click HERE for the Day 1 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 1 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 2 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 3 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 4 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 5 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 6 Recap

Click HERE for my Week 1 REVERSE DIETING Recap

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Filed under 8 Weeks to 40, Education, Exercise, IIFYM and Macros, Nutrition, Weight Issues, Weight Lifting

8 Weeks to 40 – Week 6 Recap

fitquestmom Day 43 Collage Blog 10.19.15

Date:  10/19/15

Height: 5’8 3/4″

Weight: 135.3 (down 0.3 from last week; 8.5lb. total)

Last Week’s Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1555 calories 125C / 140P / 55F

Friday 1792 calories 190C / 150P / 48F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1562 calories 106C / 145P / 62F (rest day)

This Week’s Macros (Staying the same):

I am keeping them the same macros as last week.

Workout Plan:

I am still doing Ashley Kaltwasser’s (aka AshleyKfit) Glute & Ab Program.  Each week I work on either upping the sets, reps, or weights.  I make it a point to always challenge myself…I try to never have an easy workout.

I also stepped out of my comfort zone (yes, I get shy) and went to a local gym for a hiit type class called Conditioning with Kandace, who is the VP of Marketing for Bodybuilding.com.  She was out of town for her boyfriend’s power-lifting meet (he won!), so I will get to meet her and take the class from her next week.  In Kandace’s absence the class was run by three Bodybuilding.com ladies who did a great job.

I had a lot of fun meeting other fit-minded people and it made me push myself to the point where my calves are still on FIRE ( the class was on Saturday morning).  I love working out at home, but also plan on incorporating some more group classes into my routine for a nice change of pace and added challenge.

Conditioning with Kandace

Overall it was a good week.  I felt pretty “skinny” a lot of the week (I actually got down to 134 on Wednesday) and considered ending my cut early.  I ultimately decided to give it at least one more week and re-evaluate where I stand next weekend.  There is a chance my 8 Weeks to 40 cut becomes a 7 week cut.  If I decide I am happy with where I am at the end of this week then I will head straight into my Reverse Diet (which I will also document).

Below is an ab progress pic from this morning upon waking.  I don’t know that I expect a lot of weight loss this week, but I do expect that my body will become a lot more lean.

Day 43 FitQuest Abs 10.19.15

 

Feel free to contact me with any questions about the cutting/leaning-out/dieting process or nutrition in general.

Happy Monday everyone!

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Click HERE for the Day 1 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 1 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 2 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 3 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 4 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 5 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 7 Recap

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Filed under 8 Weeks to 40, Education, Exercise, Fat, IIFYM and Macros, Nutrition, Weight Issues, Weight Lifting

8 Weeks to 40 – Week 5 Recap

Day 36 FitQuestMom 8 weeks to 40 years oldDate:  10/12/15

Height: 5’8 3/4″

Weight: 135.6 (down 1.5 from last week; 8.2lb. total)

Last Week’s Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1555 calories 125C / 140P / 55F

Friday 1792 calories 190C / 150P / 48F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1562 calories 106C / 145P / 62F (rest day)

This Week’s Macros (Staying the same):

I am keeping them the same macros as last week since they are still working for me.

Workout Plan:

Last week I began Ashley Kaltwasser’s (aka AshleyKfit) Glute & Ab Program.

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It was a good week for me.  I feel like I am in the groove now and there aren’t as many hunger issues.  One thing that may have helped was my switching to a new workout program.  I think I have been over-training for the last few months and my body may have needed a little rest.

I decided to purchase Ashley Kaltwasser’s Glute & Ab Program and I have been really happy with the workouts.  In no way is this a plug for the program because I have absolutely nothing to do with it…I purchased it, they did not send me it.

When I first downloaded the program I was concerned that it would not be hard enough because there were less exercises than I am used to doing, but like I said, I have been pleasantly surprised.  Work smarter, not harder right?!?!?!

9.3.15 vs. 10.12.15 FitQuestMom Abs

That being said, there were MORE ab exercises than I have been doing and man was I sore last week.  There is a reason why her abs are so flipping amazing!  I feel like my abs have leaned out quite a bit in the last week.  This point in a cut is always fun because it seems like you see more results daily.

My hammies were also really sore and that is an are of my legs that is notoriously difficult for me to build (yay…sore there is good news)!

I am entering week 6 now which means I have just under 3 weeks left until my 40th b-day and I am more motivated than ever.  Posting these updates has been a big help in keeping me accountable.

Have an awesome week everyone!

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Click HERE for the Day 1 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 1 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 2 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 3 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 4 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 6 Recap

 

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Filed under 8 Weeks to 40, Education, Exercise, IIFYM and Macros, Nutrition, Weight Issues, Weight Lifting