Tag Archives: Jessie Hilgenberg

REVERSE DIET – WEEKS 18-20 & OVERALL RECAP

Wk1 vs Wk20 Reverse Diet FitQuestmom with Stats BAbove you will see a picture comparison as well as stats comparing week 1 (November 2, 2015) versus week 20 (March 14, 2016) of my Reverse Diet.  As promised, I have documented this entire experience with the intention of demystifying the process as well as showing that it IS possible to significantly increase your daily caloric intake while maintaining virtually the same body composition.

I am eating on average over 400 calories more per day now than I was when I began this journey and I can assure you that this is a very maintainable lifestyle, whereas eating 1555 calories was much more difficult for me to get by on…I have no earthly clue how people are able to eat 1000 calories a day.

If nothing else I hope this encourages other women (and men) to EAT.

Date:  3/14/16

Height: 5’8 3/4″

Weight: 136.3 this morning (135.1lb the first week of my Reverse Diet).

I am not bothering to include my latest weight chart in this post because in all honesty I rarely weigh myself anymore, so it wouldn’t be a very good graphic.  My clothes fit, I feel good, and I just don’t think about the scale that often at all.

Last Week of CUT 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)

Week 18 Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1951 calories 220C / 135P / 59F

Friday 2161 calories 290C / 140P / 49F (Refeed day)

Sunday 1925 calories 200C / 135P / 65F (Rest day)

Week 20 Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1991 calories 230C / 135P / 59F

Friday 2161 calories 290C / 140P / 49F (Refeed day) *I somehow forgot to increase 10C

Sunday 1965 calories 210C / 135P / 65F (Rest day)

TOTAL MACRO INCREASES TO DATE:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday +436 calories +105C / -5P / +4F

Friday +369 calories +100C / -10P / +1F (Refeed day.  Heaviest Lifting Day)

Sunday +403 calories +116C / -10P / +3F (Rest Day)

Wk 20 Reverse Diet Fitquestmom (ab2)

Workout Plan:

I am now on week 12 of Jessie Hilgenberg’s Muscle Building program and the focus the past few weeks has been on lighter weight / higher rep.

I’m on the lookout for my next program and am considering Amber Dodzweit’s The Total Transformation PackageKayla Itsine’s Bikini Body Guide, or I may just go back to planning my own workouts again with either the help of the Muscle and Strength Pyramids spearheaded by Eric Helms or Mind Pump’s MAPS Anabolic Program.  I plan on taking some time off at the end of this week and will figure out my next fitness move.  

I enjoy mixing it up and setting new goals for myself.  My FitQuest Team and I have a pull-up challenge going on right now thanks to one of my clients and I am joining in on the goal of working toward 5 unassisted pull-ups.  I am happy to report that last week was the first week since my bout with Rhabdo that I have not had ANY Rhabdo symptoms in my arms!!!  I am convinced that the hyperthermic conditioning (using my far infrared sauna) 3 times a week is helping, so I will be continuing that.

Comments:

Bottom line is that I am thrilled I Reverse Dieted for the past 5 months.  It isn’t an easy process because there are times when you get really hungry as your metabolism increases and have to restrain yourself from going over your macros, but the restraint is so very worth it in the end.

I am going to continue my Reverse Diet, but will no longer be documenting it on the blog.  I plan to focus on increasing my fats a bit more because I really enjoy good healthy fats and would like to see mine higher than they are right now.  I do not have a timeline as to how much longer I will Reverse Diet, rather I plan on continuing until I am completely satisfied with my macros.

This is an on-going process and could change depending upon the type of training I do (I may get into some racing or I may not….time will tell) or if my physique goals change.

Thanks for coming along on the journey.

If you are interested in my help with Reverse Dieting or any of your nutrition needs, click HERE for more information on my programs.

 

 

Click HERE to see the weekly logs of my 8 Weeks to 40 Cut

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 1 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 2 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 3 & 4 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 5 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 6 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 7 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 8 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Weeks 9 & 10 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Weeks 11 & 12 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Weeks 13 & 14 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Weeks 15-17 of my Reverse Diet

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Filed under Education, Exercise, IIFYM and Macros, Nutrition, Reverse Dieting, Weight Issues, Weight Lifting

REVERSE DIET – WEEKS 15-17 RECAP & RHABDO UPDATE

Week 17 Reverse Diet FitQuest FitQuestMom (1)Week 1 11.2.15 FitQuestAt the very top you will see my Week 17 Reverse Diet progress pictures as compared to Week 1 (directly below that set of pictures).

Date:  2/22/16

Height: 5’8 3/4″

Weight: 132.1 this morning (134.5 at my week 14 recap / 134.8lb at end of cut 10/26/15).

My weight has been a bit all over the place for the last three weeks.  It was as high as 137.6 and as low as 127.8.  One week I was experiencing some Rhabdo symptoms and could feel myself retaining water (137.6) and by the end of the week with rest and a ton of fluids my weight went down to 127.8.  In the midst of this I caught the flu and was out of commission for 3 full days, but I made myself eat the vast majority of my macros despite not having an appetite and I think that proved helpful in the end.

Week 15 through 17 weight chartLast Week of CUT 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)

Week 14-16 Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1875 calories 200C / 145P / 55F

Friday 2085 calories 270C / 150P / 45F (Refeed day)

Sunday 1849 calories 180C / 145P / 61F (Rest day)

*I was traveling for work during week 16 and don’t generally like to do macro increases when I travel because I am not always completely in control of what I eat while out of town.  

Week 17 Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1913 calories 215C / 135P / 57F

Friday 2123 calories 285C / 140P / 47F (Refeed day)

Sunday 1887 calories 195C / 135P / 63F (Rest day)

*I reduced my protein by 10g per day to help my kidneys since I was experiencing some Rhabdo symptoms.

Week 18 Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1951 calories 220C / 135P / 59F

Friday 2161 calories 290C / 140P / 49F (Refeed day)

Sunday 1925 calories 200C / 135P / 65F (Rest day)

*UPDATE – I forgot to mention that I was pretty HANGRY last night before my increase today.  Please know that I am not always able to follow the plan I lay out.  My son got his driver’s permit this past Thursday evening and Friday we decided to drive to a fun candy store where I allowed my refeed for the day to get a bit out of hand! By last night I was warning my husband that I was hungry-grumpy and finally just decided to go to bed to spare everyone my mood.  In general I have been great sticking to the plan this past 17 weeks, but not always.  Overall I have been very consistent and that allows for a few slip-ups here and there. I was definitely ready for the macro increase this morning.

TOTAL MACRO INCREASES TO DATE:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday +396 calories +95C / -5P / +4F

Friday +369 calories +100C / -10P / +1F (Refeed day.  Heaviest Lifting Day)

Sunday +363 calories +106C / -10P / +3F (Rest Day)

NobleAndrews_Gretchen_Tseng_FitQuestMom1Workout Plan:

While out of town I purchased a Groupon to the pilates studio I used to go to 5x per week when I lived in Orange County.  It was fun to take classes from some of my old instructors as well as instructors that were new to me.  I highly encourage you to check out fitness Groupons in any area where you will be traveling…for $50 I was able to take 5 classes!

Prior to going out of town I completed week 7 of Jessie Hilgenberg’s Muscle Building program.  Now that I am back home and over that terrible flu I am back on track with week 8.

NobleAndrews_Gretchen_178_9625 (1)Comments:

As I mentioned, I went out of town for both business (a photoshoot) and pleasure (my cousin’s baby shower).

While out of town I was not on top of my water consumption (especially during the shoot) and that is the first time that has happened since my bout with Rhabdo.  I didn’t realize just how much that would affect me.  By the time I got back home and began workouts again I was really feeling the tightness in my forearms, overall exhaustion, and unexplained weight gain in the form of water retention.  I have learned to recognize those symptoms and take it easy.  Once I realized what was going on I began drinking 1.5 gallons of water a day and did not do any upper body weight workouts.  As I mentioned, I also reduced my protein macros to give my kidney’s some extra rest and I plan to keep my protein macros where they are.

I also did some research and found that there is some compelling evidence stating that use of the far infrared sauna for hyperthermic conditioning can be helpful to Rhabdo patients.  I am lucky enough to own a far infrared sauna plan on using it as often as I can.  This morning I did a 30 minute session in it after my workout and got in a good sweat.  If you are interested in reading how the sauna can be helpful for Rhabdo patients, click HERE.

NobleAndrews_Gretchen_Tseng_fitquestmom2

I hope all of you have a great week.  Stay healthy…this flu is a nasty one!!!

______________________________

Click HERE to see the weekly logs of my 8 Weeks to 40 Cut

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 1 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 2 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 3 & 4 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 5 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 6 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 7 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 8 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 9 & 10 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 11 & 12 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 13 & 14 of my Reverse Diet

Professional photographs by Noble Andrews

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Filed under Education, IIFYM and Macros, Nutrition, Reverse Dieting, Rhabdomyolysis, Weight Issues

REVERSE DIET – WEEK 13 & 14 RECAP

Reverse Diet wk14 FitQuestMom

Week 1 11.2.15 FitQuestAt the very top you will see my Week 14 Reverse Diet progress pictures as compared to Week 1 (directly below that set of pictures).

Date:  2/1/16

Height: 5’8 3/4″

Weight: 134.5 this morning (133.2 at my week 12 recap / 134.8lb at end of cut 10/26/15).

My weight has been moving-up ever so slightly through the weeks and I am not even a little bit worried about it because I know how many factors come into play.  I have been a bit more stressed than usual lately and haven’t been sleeping as well, so I know that has a lot to do with it.  My clothes fit and I feel lean and strong, so all is good.

FitQuest Reverse Diet Weight Log 14Last Week of CUT 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)

Week 13 Macro INCREASE:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1965 calories 200C / 145P / 65F

Friday 2175 calories 270C / 150P / 55F (Refeed day)

Sunday 1939 calories 180C / 145P / 71F (Rest day)

Week 14 Macro DECREASE:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1875 calories 200C / 145P / 55F

Friday 2085 calories 270C / 150P / 45F (Refeed day)

Sunday 1849 calories 180C / 145P / 61F (Rest day)

*I reduced my fats by 10g every day for the last week in order to prepare for some work I will be doing this week in Ca.  Nothing drastic, just wanted to lean-out a tiny bit.  I honestly didn’t even notice the difference in my daily meals because before this week I have been having to find ways to reach my daily fat goal and that usually involved adding coconut oil to my smoothies, etc.

Week 15 Macros:

Keeping macros SAME.  I will increase my macros next week when I return from my combo work/fun trip to Ca.  I am guessing I will add 10C and 2F per day, but will evaluate that when I get home.

TOTAL MACRO INCREASES TO DATE:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday +320 calories +75C / +5P / +0F

Friday +293 calories +80C / 0P / -3F (Refeed day.  Heaviest Lifting Day)

Sunday +287 calories +74C / 0P / -1F (Rest Day)

FitQuestMom Abs Balanced Grettie Wk14Workout Plan:

I just completed week 7 of Jessie Hilgenberg’s Muscle Building program and since I won’t be in town this week I have decided to switch it up a bit.  I created my own leg/Ab workout when I got down to the gym this morning and it was a nice change.  This week I will be doing pilates and when I return I think I will repeat week 7 using the same weight I used so I will be ready for the weight increases that are supposed to happen during week 8 of the program.

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Click HERE to see the weekly logs of my 8 Weeks to 40 Cut

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 1 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 2 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 3 & 4 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 5 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 6 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 7 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 8 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 9 & 10 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 11 & 12 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 15-17 of my Reverse Diet

 

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Filed under Education, Exercise, IIFYM and Macros, Nutrition, Reverse Dieting, Weight Lifting

REVERSE DIET – WEEK 11 & 12 RECAP

Reverse Diet Wk12 FitquestmomWeek 1 11.2.15 FitQuestAt the very top you will see my Week 12 Reverse Diet progress pictures as compared to Week 1 (directly below that set of pictures).

Date:  1/18/16

Height: 5’8 3/4″

Weight: 133.2 this morning (133.1 at my week 10 recap / 134.8lb at end of cut).

My weight was actually 132.4 yesterday and then we went out to eat Blaze Pizza (fit my macros…so good) and I had more sodium than usual.

My week 11 refeed was a bit larger than usual and went over my planned macros for the day, but as you can see all of that stabilized after following my normal macros the following week.  I also wasn’t as good about getting myself to sleep on time last week and that resulted in slight bloating that was fixed as soon as I had a couple good nights of rest.

Weight Chart Wk 12 Fitquestmom

Last Week of CUT 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)

Week 12 Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1925 calories 195C / 140P / 65F

Friday 2135 calories 265C / 145P / 55F (Refeed day)

Sunday 1899 calories 175C / 140P / 71F (Rest day)

Week 13 Macro INCREASE:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1965 calories 200C / 145P / 65F

Friday 2175 calories 270C / 150P / 55F (Refeed day)

Sunday 1939 calories 180C / 145P / 71F (Rest day)

TOTAL MACRO INCREASES TO DATE:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday +410 calories +75C / +5P / +10F

Friday +383 calories +80C / 0P / +7F (Refeed day.  Heaviest Lifting Day)

Sunday +377 calories +74C / 0P / +9F (Rest Day)

Abs wk12 reverse diet fitquestmom

Workout Plan:

I am now on week 6 of Jessie Hilgenberg’s Muscle Building program and this week we changed the exercises up a bit which is fun for me because I like variety.

I was supposed to work back on Saturday (which always also involves arms), and chose to play it safe and skip the weights that day because on Thursday I pushed myself with biceps and triceps and was pretty sore.  For the first time since my Rhabdo hospitalization I actually forgot about the Rhabdo during my workout and really challenged myself.  It felt good to not worry that day, so to be cautious, when the soreness came on I didn’t lift anything that had to do arms and focused on abs and sprints instead and as a result my arms felt great by Sunday.

Comments:

Reverse dieting is an interesting experience.  I have been really satisfied with the amount of food I am able to eat and haven’t been increasing as quickly because of that.  In general this time I have made larger increases each time and as a result have been able to get myself up to a nice caloric intake quickly.  During my last reverse diet my increases were on average 5C and 1-2F per week and this time around I tended to go with 10C and 1-2F per increase.  Now I am feeling like slowing it down a bit which is why I went a few weeks with no increases.

I am also happy with where my fat macros are right now and that is why this week I decided to only increase protein and carbs.  With this latest increase I am happy with where my protein macros are and doubt I will be increasing that macro any further.

Let’s see how these new numbers go.  I am now part of the 200C club 6 out of 7 days per week.

______________________________

Click HERE to see the weekly logs of my 8 Weeks to 40 Cut

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 1 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 2 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 3 & 4 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 5 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 6 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 7 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 8 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 9 & 10 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 13 & 14 of my Reverse Diet

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Filed under Education, Exercise, IIFYM and Macros, Nutrition, Reverse Dieting, Weight Lifting

REVERSE DIET – WEEK 9 & 10 RECAP

FitQuest Reverse Diet Wk 10

Week 1 11.2.15 FitQuest

At the very top you will see my Week 10 Reverse Diet progress pictures as compared to Week 1 (directly below that set of pictures).

Date:  1/04/16

Height: 5’8 3/4″

Weight: 133.1 this morning (131.4 at my week 8 recap / 134.8lb at end of cut).

As you can see I was 131.1 yesterday morning and I know I didn’t gain 2 pounds overnight.  I usually have my weekly refeed on Fridays, but since I was at the mountains I wasn’t able to do my heavy leg day until Saturday, so I had my refeed then.  Generally my weight goes up two days after my refeed and that is what you see with my weight this morning.

I kept my macros fairly stable throughout the holidays and had a few extra indulgences, so I did not increase them for the last two weeks.  I am now feeling like it is time for another increase since the holidays are over and I will have more control over my meals in general.  Lately I have been craving more protein and that is why I chose to focus on protein for my increases this week.

FitQuest wk 10 Reverse Weight Chart 1

FitQuest wk 10 Reverse Weight Chart 2Last Week of CUT 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)

Week 9 Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1885 calories 195C / 130P / 65F

Friday 2095 calories 265C / 135P / 55F (Refeed day)

Sunday 1859 calories 175C / 130P / 71F (Rest day)

Week 10 Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1925 calories 195C / 140P / 65F

Friday 2135 calories 265C / 145P / 55F (Refeed day)

Sunday 1899 calories 175C / 140P / 71F (Rest day)

TOTAL MACRO INCREASES TO DATE:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday +370 calories +70C / 0P / +10F

Friday +343 calories +75C / -5P / +7F (Refeed day.  Not lifting now, but keeping this higher cal day.)

Sunday +337 calories +69C / -5P / +9F (rest day)

IMG_5084

Workout Plan:

I feel like I am finally back to a normal lifting routine where I can challenge myself.  I still have to be careful with my arms and can tell when I need to dial it back, but my strength is definitely coming back and that is so much fun.  I am on week 4 of Jessie Hilgenberg’s Muscle Building program and am really enjoying it.

Comments:

 

My family and I had a really fun Winter Break and it was sad to see the kiddos go back to school this morning.

FitQuest Skiing

We were able to find some time to ski and sled and then my husband and I got to take a little friends get-away while my kids spent some time with family.  I had never really been snowmobiling or snowshoeing before and had a lot of fun.  I managed to snowshoe for 2 hours by myself on New Years Day and really got a lot out of it…I was able to spend some time alone thinking about my goals for 2016.

FitQuest Snowmobile[wpvideo LyBTskdq]

Happy New Year to all of you and may 2016 be an amazing year for you filled with growth and happiness!

______________________________

Click HERE to see the weekly logs of my 8 Weeks to 40 Cut

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 1 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 2 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 3 & 4 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 5 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 6 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 7 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 8 of my Reverse Diet

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Filed under Education, Exercise, IIFYM and Macros, Nutrition, Reverse Dieting, Weight Issues, Weight Lifting

REVERSE DIET – WEEK 8 RECAP

Reverse Diet Week 8 FitQuest (2)Week 1 11.2.15 FitQuestAt the very top you will see my Week 8 Reverse Diet progress pictures as compared to Week 1 (directly below that set of pictures).

Date:  12/21/15

Height: 5’8 3/4″

Weight: 131.4 this morning (130.6 at my week 7 recap / 134.8lb at end of cut).

My weight went up a little this week.  I attribute the gain to some water retention from saltier than normal foods, the fact that I am working out again which means I have more water in my muscle cells, and the fact that I am constipated (TMI, but keeping it real!).

On Friday I probably went over on my refeed macros because I had some of the sugar cookies we baked and decorated as a family and I enjoyed EVERY single bite.  No guilt whatsoever.

This past week I felt like I had plenty of food and did not experience the upswing in hunger that usually comes at the end of the week when Reverse Dieting, which is why I am not going to increase my macros this week.  I feel like my body needs another week to get used to the current macros before my next increase.

Week 8 Reverse Diet Weight Chart FitQuestLast Week of CUT 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)

Week 8’s Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1885 calories 195C / 130P / 65F

Friday 2095 calories 265C / 135P / 55F (Refeed day)

Sunday 1859 calories 175C / 130P / 71F (Rest day)

Week 9’s Macros (KEEPING THEM THE SAME):

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1885 calories 195C / 130P / 65F

Friday 2095 calories 265C / 135P / 55F (Refeed day)

Sunday 1859 calories 175C / 130P / 71F (Rest day)

TOTAL MACRO INCREASES TO DATE:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday +347 calories +70C / -10P / +1F

Friday +303 calories +75C / -15P / +7F (Refeed day.  Not lifting now, but keeping this higher cal day.)

Sunday +297 calories +61C / -15P / +9F (rest day)

Reverse Diet Week 8 FitQuest (1)Workout Plan:

I lifted weights 5 days last week and it felt great!  I made sure I took it slow and kept the weights much lighter than usual and only did 3 sets of each exercise.

I re-started Jessie Hilgenberg’s Muscle Building program and am excited to be in a routine again workout-wise.

Comments:

 

Like I said it feels really good to be back in my gym.  I am being really conscious of how my body feels and not pushing it too hard.

I have really been enjoying the holidays and am excited to have my kiddos out of school for the next two weeks.

______________________________

Click HERE to see the weekly logs of my 8 Weeks to 40 Cut

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 1 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 2 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 3 & 4 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 5 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 6 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 7 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 9 & 10 of my Reverse Diet

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Filed under Education, Exercise, IIFYM and Macros, Nutrition, Reverse Dieting, Weight Issues, Weight Lifting

REVERSE DIET – WEEK 7 RECAP

Week 7 12.14.15 Reverse Diet FitquestmomWeek 1 11.2.15 FitQuestAt the very top you will see my Week 7 Reverse Diet progress pictures as compared to Week 1 (directly below that set of pictures).

Date:  12/14/15

Height: 5’8 3/4″

Weight: 130.6 this morning (127.4 at my week 6 recap / 134.8lb at end of cut).

My weight has normalized more this week.  We had Thai food last night, so I don;t feel like 130.6 isn’t my true weight…there is a bit of water retention going on from the meal.  I am definitely lacking the muscle tone I had before, but that will come back now that I am working out again.  I explain below that I finally had my hunger return and I discuss how I added in some extra food as my body felt it needed it.

This week I will be back to following the plan with increased macros and my refeed on my normally specified day (Friday).

Week 7Last Week of CUT 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)

Week 7’s Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1836 calories 185C / 130P / 64F

Friday 2046 calories 255C / 135P / 54F (Refeed day)

  • Ended-up eating a bunch on Tuesday because I was FINALLY hungry.  Used that as my refeed day and skipped the scheduled Friday refeed.
  • Also was very hungry Saturday night and ate my normal macros + 1 homemade protein bar which put me 219cal/16C/14P/11F over.

Sunday 1810 calories 165C / 130P / 70F (Rest day)

Week 8’s Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1885 calories 195C / 130P / 65F

Friday 2095 calories 265C / 135P / 55F (Refeed day)

Sunday 1859 calories 175C / 130P / 71F (Rest day)

TOTAL MACRO INCREASES TO DATE:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday +347 calories +70C / -10P / +1F

Friday +303 calories +75C / -15P / +7F (Refeed day.  Not lifting now, but keeping this higher cal day.)

Sunday +297 calories +61C / -15P / +9F (rest day)

Week 7 12.14.15 Reverse Diet Fitquestmom (1)Workout Plan:

I finished all of my antibiotics and am hoping for a return to normalcy this week.

I am RE-STARTING Jessie Hilgenberg’s Muscle Building program and will adjust my weights to my current level.  I lost A LOT of muscle throughout all of this (my booty is so much smaller now and my abs are less defined) and am excited to work on putting it back.  It is always fun to have new goals.

It has been a month since I have done regular workouts, so it is totally normal that I would lose some definition.

The increased food from my Reverse Diet should do a great job fueling awesome workouts.

Comments:

We had a great week as a family.  The kids and I worked on holiday baking in our PJs while my husband got the decorations down (I am so behind) and my daughter performed in the nutcracker.

fitquestmom holiday bakingWe also went to the MythBusters show and that was a lot of fun!  Jaime H. came and sat right behind us during the show which was exciting for the kids.

Week 7 Mythbusters FitQuestmomHere’s to a great week!

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Click HERE to see the weekly logs of my 8 Weeks to 40 Cut

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 1 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 2 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 3 & 4 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 5 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 6 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 8 of my Reverse Diet

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Filed under Education, Exercise, IIFYM and Macros, Nutrition, Reverse Dieting, Weight Issues, Weight Lifting

REVERSE DIET – WEEK 3 & 4 RECAP

Week 4 Reverse Diet Collage FitQuest

Week 1 11.2.15 FitQuestAt the very top you will see my Week 4 Reverse Diet progress pictures (that face!  Can you tell I was tired???) as compared to Week 1 (directly below that set of pictures).

Date:  11/23/15

Height: 5’8 3/4″

Weight: 130.7 this morning (134.5 at my week 2 recap / 134.8lb at end of cut).

Below is my weight log for the past week and a half.  I am not sure what I weighed 11/16/15 since I was in the hospital (click HERE for details).  My weight was climbing prior to my admission to the hospital due to water retention and swelling (I was following my macros perfectly).  It was 136.3 on Sunday 11/15/15 and that was one of the clues to me that something was up…I felt majorly bloated.  I KNOW how my body reacts to macros and knew that this was weird.

As a Fitness Nutrition Specialist I know how important nutrition is to recovery which is why I continued to eat ALL of my macros while in the hospital.  Despite the fact that I wasn’t training, my body was working very hard to repair the damage and that takes calories.

I did make a few alterations to my macros while in the hospital in an attempt to ease the burden on my kidneys.  Each day I reduced my protein macros by 20g and increased my carb macros by 20g to make-up the difference calorically.

Despite eating all of my macros, I have list weight and that means it is time to increase and a little faster than usual.

Week 4 Weight

Last Week of CUT 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)

Week 3’s Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1682 calories 145C / 145P / 58F

Friday 1919 calories 210C / 155P / 51F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1665 calories 125C / 145P / 65F (rest day)

Week 4’s Macros (with protein and carb adjustment):

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1682 calories 165C / 125P / 58F

Friday 1919 calories 230C / 135P / 51F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1665 calories 145C / 125P / 65F (rest day)

This Week’s Macros:

Time to increase again...

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1740 calories 170C / 130P / 60F

Friday 1948 calories 235C / 135P / 52F (Refeed day.  Not lifting now, but keeping this higher cal day.)

Sunday 1714 calories 150C / 130P / 66F (rest day)

TOTAL MACRO INCREASES TO DATE:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday +185 calories +45C / -10P / +5F

Friday +156 calories +45C / -15P / +4F (Refeed day.  Not lifting now, but keeping this higher cal day.)

Sunday +152 calories +46C / -15P / +4F (rest day)

Week 4 AbsWorkout Plan:

Yesterday was the first day I went back to doing any exercise since my hospitalization and it was a nice leisurely walk.  I plan on taking the next week off of weights and then SLOWLY getting back into a routine before beginning Jessie Hilgenberg’s 14 week  Muscle Building e-book again.

Rhabdo Walk Cardio

Comments:

 

It has been an interesting couple of weeks for sure!  Never forget how important nutrition is and how much you need good nutrition when your body isn’t operating as well as it should.  You may be tired, but do what you can to get the food in.

My husband has been amazing throughout this hospital / Rhabdo ordeal, but it was also one of the busiest times for work for him.  I knew I didn’t have the energy to cook so I stopped in to Dickey’s BBQ here and bought meat by the pound all ready to eat.  I purchased chicken breasts, a rack of ribs, and beef brisket.  Was it organic and pastured? No.  This is what I mean by balance…it was not the meat I would normally prepare, but it was FAR better than stopping off at a fast food restaurant.  I was able to feed myself and my family the meat from Dickey’s and supplement it with a pot of rice I made as well as baby carrots, snow peas, and other veggies that didn’t even need to be cooked.

Where there’s a will there’s a way!

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Click HERE to see the weekly logs of my 8 Weeks to 40 Cut

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 1 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 2 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 5 of my Reverse Diet

 

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Filed under Education, Exercise, IIFYM and Macros, Nutrition, Reverse Dieting, Rhabdomyolysis, Weight Lifting

REVERSE DIET – WEEK 2 RECAP

Week 2 11.9.15 Reverse Diet FitQuestWeek 1 11.2.15 FitQuestAt the very top you will see my Week 2 Reverse Diet progress pictures as compared to Week 1 (directly below that set of pictures).

Date:  11/09/15

Height: 5’8 3/4″

Weight: 134.5 this morning (135.1 last week / 134.8lb at end of cut).

Below is my weight log for the past week.

Reverse Diet Week 2 Weight Log Balanced Grettie FitQuest

Last Week of CUT 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)

Last Week’s Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1624 calories 135C / 145P / 56F

Friday 1861 calories 200C / 155P / 48F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1607 calories 115C / 145P / 63F (rest day)

This Week’s Macros:

Time to increase again...

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1682 calories 145C / 145P / 58F

Friday 1919 calories 210C / 155P / 51F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1665 calories 125C / 145P / 65F (rest day)

Week 2 11.9.15 Abs Reverse Diet

Workout Plan:

Last week I took it relatively easy and just did what I felt like in the exercise department.  I lifted weights Monday and focused on lighter weight with higher rep ranges.  On Tuesday I did 45 minutes of walking on an incline right when I woke-up and then spent the rest of the day prepping for my colonoscopy.  Wednesday was a day off and Thursday and Friday I did light weight high rep ranges again.  Saturday my little one wasn’t feeling well, so I didn’t go to my regular class and worked out at home with weights.  Sunday was a day off.

This morning I began Jessie Hilgenberg’s 14 week  Muscle Building e-book.  I always get excited to begin a new program and this morning’s workout was awesome.  I took before pictures this morning and will share my before and after’s with you in 14 weeks.

Comments:

Monday 11/2 was my actual 40th B-Day, so I allowed myself to indulge in a pint of my favorite ice cream (So Delicious’ Coconut Milk Ice CreamChocolate Peanut Butter Swirl), as well as a small chocolate torte from Whole Foods and a few bites of gluten-free cupcake.  I would have taken a picture for you guys, but I was all about just enjoying it.  My birthday is once a year and treats like this aren’t something I regularly indulge in…I got a pimple as proof of that…awesome…pimple on my cheek at 40!

I also had my first colonoscopy on Wednesday, so Tuesday I was stuck only consuming a liquid diet and thus the weight loss you see on Wednesday.  I have a family history of some issues and my doctor wanted to start screening me.  All looks good and I need to go back in 3 years and then if all looks good then, 5 year increments.  It was all definitely worth it for the peace of mind and to establish a baseline.

As you can see I maintained my level of conditioning this week, so it is time to increase again.  I decided to take a leap and increase a little bit faster.  Please know that even though I am a nutrition coach I get nervous about increases too.  I am committed to the process and will see how this week goes on the new macros.  If for some reason I gain weight, then my plan will be to stick with the same macros next week as well to allow my body to acclimate to them prior to increasing again.

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Click HERE to see the weekly logs of my 8 Weeks to 40 Cut

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 1 of my Reverse Diet

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 3 & 4 of my Reverse Diet

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Filed under Education, Exercise, IIFYM and Macros, Nutrition, Reverse Dieting, Weight Lifting

REVERSE DIET – WEEK 1 RECAP & How to Log Restaurant Meals

Week 1 11.2.15 FitQuest

FitQuestMom Day 50 Collage Blog 10.26.15At the very top you will see my Week 1 Reverse Diet progress pictures (I thought I’d change-up my swimsuit for the Reverse Diet series) as compared to the end of my 7 week cut (directly below that set of pictures).

Date:  11/02/15

Height: 5’8 3/4″

Weight: 135.1 (134.8lb at end of cut;  This is not really a true indicator of my current weight…it’s water retention).  I had lunch at my favorite Mediterranean restaurant (gyro salad) yesterday and that salad is much saltier than what I typically eat on a daily basis.  I also had a salty dinner.  Below is my weight log for the past week.

Reverse Week 1 Weight Log

Last Week of CUT 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)

Last Week’s 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)

This Week’s Macros:

Time to increase again...

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1624 calories 135C / 145P / 56F

Friday 1861 calories 200C / 155P / 48F (heaviest weight lifting day)

Sunday 1607 calories 115C / 145P / 63F (rest day)

Workout Plan:

This week is not going to be my typical kind of week when it comes to workouts.  Today I did the Ashley Kaltwasser Glute & Ab Program workout I have done for the last 4 weeks, but lighter and higher rep.  I have been a bit exhausted for the past few days, so I am taking it a little easier and doing a de-load of sorts.

I also have a colonoscopy scheduled for Wednesday and have to do the prep for that all day tomorrow which basically means I can’t eat anything solid and have to give myself diarrhea for the day (awesome, right?).  I have a family history of diverticulitis and my mom has had polyps removed, so my doctor wants to take precautionary measures and start screening me.  WELCOME TO 40!!!

Having never gone through the procedure before, I plan on waking up tomorrow and working out before my prep begins, but I am guessing I won’t have much energy for my typical workout the next day so I am just going to play it by ear this week and do what I feel like in the gym each day.

NEXT week I will begin the 14 week program I purchased which is Jessie Hilgenberg’s Muscle Building e-book.  I always get excited to begin a new program.

Comments:

As you can see I maintained the leanness from my cut this week and if anything I think my physique may be a little bit leaner which makes sense because when accounting for water retention I actually lost weight this week.  I considered adding in MORE macros than typical this week because of the weight loss, but ultimately decided not to since my workouts will not be nearly as intense this week and I plan on taking it easier than I normally would do to the colonoscopy and my level of fatigue.

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I had a great week last week.  It’s always fun to begin a Reverse Diet and shift your focus from fat loss to maintenance and increasing calories.  Friday we went out with my my Boise besties and our husbands for a nice night at the gorgeous new Chateau de Fleurs to celebrate my 4oth a little early (great excuse to buy a new dress! Goldendoodle photobomb by Russell).

Gretchen Tseng FitQuest FitQuestMom

When I looked at the menu ahead of time (I always do that to plan my macros) I was so excited to see that they had monkfish on the menu.  As a child I would always ask my mom to make either monkfish or flank steak (which I made last night) for my birthday dinner.  I hadn’t had it in YEARS and it was just as good as I remembered it.

Gretchen Tseng FitQuest and friends

I know a lot of people struggle with eating out and how to track macros for a meal, so I thought I’d let you know how I tracked this particular meal.  I decided to start with the Garden Greens Salad.  The description read, “Mixed green salad with Château dressing.”  I looked up a garden salad w/o dressing or croutons in MFP and found one from the Dominos chain for 70cals/3.5F/5C/4P.  I then looked-up Balsamic Dressing and logged 2Tbs of Panera’s Balsamin Vinaigrette at 90cal/8F/6C/0P.

The monkfish dish description read, “Monkfish Provençal –  Monkfish sautéed with seasonal ratatouille and finished with a white wine and tomato reduction. Served with a turmeric and ginger basmati rice.”  I always assume that restaurant proteins range between 4-5oz and decided to log 5oz. of monkfish (cooked dry heat) at 137cal/2.8F/0C/26.3P.  I assumed the ratatouille would be about 1cup and chose a homemade version from MFP at 40cal/1F/6C/1P.  I also assumed the basmati rice would be around 1cup and looked up “ginger basmati rice” in MFP and found an entry titled “cooked basmati rice w. ginger” so I decided to log that 205cal/0.4F/44.5C/4.2P.  Lastly, restaurant meals tend to be higher in fat than what I cook at home, so I decided to add 3 tsp of olive oil to my dinner macros at 119cal/1.35F/0C/0P for a grand total meal macro count of 662cal/29F/62C/35P.

The dessert menu looked great, but I have been waiting 8 weeks for frozen yogurt so we all loaded up in our nice clothes and hit Aspen Leaf at 10:15pm for 13oz of frozen yogurt with chocolate sprinkles.  Those of you who have been following me for a while know how CrAzY my froyos used to be LOADED with candy and piled crazy high.  Abstaining for 8 weeks brought me back to a place where I truly didn’t even want to do that.  I really really enjoyed my froyo with just chocolate sprinkles (my husband was shocked!).

All macros accounted for and all thoroughly enjoyed.  I really want to do this Reverse Diet right and feel like I am finally in such a good place when it comes to my relationship with food…the best gift I could give myself at 40 years old.

Have a great week everyone!

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Click HERE to see the weekly logs of my 8 Weeks to 40 Cut

Click HERE to see the recap of Week 2 of my Reverse Diet

 

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Filed under Education, Exercise, IIFYM and Macros, Nutrition, Reverse Dieting, Weight Issues, Weight Lifting