Tag Archives: leaning out

April 24, 2017 · 5:13 pm

8 WEEKS TO SUMMER – WEEK 2 & 3 UPDATE – NEW DIRECTION

Week 2 Macros:

Date: 4/10/17

Height: 5’9″

Weight: 142.5 (Beginning Weight 142.2) = gain of +0.3lbs

Macros: Last Week – 130C/130P/120F (2120 cals)

_____

Week 3 Macros:

Date: 4/17/17

Height: 5’9″

Weight: 142.8 (Beginning Weight 142.2) = gain of +0.6lbs

Macros: 130C/100P/100F (1820 cals)

_____

This Morning:

Date: 4/17/17

Height: 5’9″

Weight: 142.3 (Beginning Weight 142.2) = gain of +0.1lbs

Macros: Intuitive eating

Sometimes we need to learn to recognize when all signs are pointing you toward a different path. I ask my clients to trust me when it’s time to place our focus elsewhere and I am doing the same with myself right now.

I have been in a caloric deficit for three weeks now (I cut calories by another 300 a day last week) and I literally haven’t lost any weight or seen an appreciable change in body composition…in fact I weigh more…not by much, but it’s more nonetheless. It’s no fun to be REALLY hungry and see the scale go up!

Why didn’t my body respond? There are several reasons:

I am in the middle of treatment for a candida overgrowth (and will be for several more months)
I am on week 10 of a major kitchen/family room renovation (I am cooking for the family in our laundry room)
I haven’t been sleeping well

Those are not prime conditions for going on a diet. When you are under stress your body does NOT want to drop any fat. Its funny…if I client came to me and told me that they had items 1-3 above going on in their life right now I would have told them that this wasn’t a good time to attempt a cut. Somehow I didn’t think through that one for myself.

My plan from now through the end of my candida treatment and kitchen renovations (hopefully just a few more weeks) is to eat intuitively and continue to train. I know how to eat and what to eat to best fuel my body and that is what I am going to do. Eat when I am hungry and eat until I am full. I plan on eating three square meals a day and will continue eating along the principles of the Autoimmune Paleo Diet. I have successfully reintroduced tomatoes, several seed and nightshade spices, and eggs, so those will be a part of my diet in addition to the AIP.

I am very comfortable with my current physique, so this cut wasn’t something I needed in order to feel comfortable in a swimsuit for the summer…it was more a fun way to document a cut. Fortunately I have already done so. For those of you interested in seeing what the process is like to go through a cut, click HERE.

If you would like me to help you get ready for summer, please click HERE to learn more about my programs.

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Filed under 8 Weeks to Summer 2017, IIFYM and Macros, Nutrition

Tagged as 40 and fit, 8 weeks to 40, 8 weeks to summer, autoimmune, autoimmune protocol, balanced intake, bikini ready, candida, fit at 40, get summer ready, grapefruit seed extract, healthy diet, hormones and diet, how to get lean, hypothyroid, IIFYM, increase metabolic capacity, intuitive eating, leaning out, losing weight, macros, metabolic capacity, metabolism, nutrition consulting, Reverse Diet, Reverse Dieting

April 10, 2017 · 3:40 pm

8 WEEKS TO SUMMER – WEEK 1 RECAP

Here is where I am as of this morning:

Date: 4/3/17

Height: 5’9″

Weight: 142.5 (Beginning Weight 142.2) = gain of +0.3lbs

Macros:

Last Week – 130C/130P/120F

This Week – Same

So…you’ve gotta love going into a deficit for the week and GAINING weight. My weight actually got as high as 143.4lbs this week.

I have been battling a candida overgrowth for the past few months and have been cycling treatments. This past Monday I began using grapefruit seed extract and have been experiencing intestinal issues as a result. I am guessing this is the blame for the weight gain. You should’ve heard my stomach last night. It was so loud my husband could hear all the gurgling and wars going on in there!

I was also REALLY hungry last week. Again, I am guessing that is a result of the candida not wanting to give up. I know that I am not even close to starving on a 2000+ calorie per day day, so I know logically that it must be the candida as well as my body adjusting to all of the changes.

As for my macros, I did allow myself a refeed on Friday (I hadn’t planned on one) because I was really hungry and it felt like my body needed it. I woke-up the next morning 0.6lbs less which reinforced the fact that having the refeed was the right call. This week my plan is to keep the same macros and see what happens. I actually “feel” leaner despite the weight gain and don’t want to reduce macros at this point.

Feel free to let me know if you have any questions as I document this process. If you would like me to help you get ready for summer, please click HERE to learn more about my programs.

CLICK HERE TO READ MY DAY 1 RECAP

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Filed under 8 Weeks to Summer 2017, IIFYM and Macros, Nutrition

Tagged as 40 and fit, 8 weeks to 40, 8 weeks to summer, autoimmune, autoimmune protocol, balanced intake, bikini ready, candida, fit at 40, get summer ready, grapefruit seed extract, healthy diet, how to get lean, hypothyroid, IIFYM, increase metabolic capacity, leaning out, losing weight, macros, metabolic capacity, metabolism, nutrition consulting, Reverse Diet, Reverse Dieting

April 3, 2017 · 6:53 pm

8 WEEKS TO SUMMER

It’s been about two years since I did my first macro-based cut/diet (click HERE for details). Since then I have focused my attention on building-up my metabolic capacity as well as trying to add as much muscle as possible…easier said than done. Click HERE for details on the Reverse Diet I completed after my cut two years ago.

I thought it would be fun to do another cut and document it for all of you to show that I am now able to diet-down on much higher macros than before. My goal is not to lose much weight, but rather to lean-down a bit right in time for swimsuit season.

I am currently following the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol Diet with a few successful reintroductions added back in (eggs, tomatoes, peppers). This diet has been SUCH a big help in my attempts to control my autoimmune diseases. I have also been battling a pretty significant candida overgrowth with the help of my functional medicine practitioner. Next month I should have an update on that since I just sent my latest tests into the lab.

Here is where I was prior to my original cut back in 2015:

Date: 9/7/15

Height: 5’9″

Weight: 143.8

Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1515 calories 120C / 135P / 55F

Friday 1736 calories 180C / 146P / 48F (heaviest weight lifting day)

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

Here is where I am as of this morning (my weight is pretty darn similar in both pictures):

Date: 4/3/17

Height: 5’9″

Weight: 142.2

Macros:

Daily – 130C/130P/120F

As you can see my macros are pretty consistent now versus the carb cycling I did before. My current macros are also MUCH higher in fat. I find that I feel better eating higher fat and stay more satiated. I will most likely add in a refeed day, but will keep my macros as is for this first week.

It is exciting for me to see that in two years I have been able to increase my cutting macros from an average 1553 calories a day to 2120 calories a day…that’s huge. I am proud of that 567 calorie increase PER DAY!

My workouts are also less intense and shorter in duration than they used to be. I used to average 90 minutes a day 6 days a week and now I lift between 45-60 minutes 5 days a week and walk at about 3.5-4.0 mph for 45 minutes to an hour twice a week.

Feel free to let me know if you have any questions as I document this process. If you would like me to help you get ready for summer, please click HERE to learn more about my programs.

Click HERE to read about my Week 1 Recap

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Filed under 8 Weeks to Summer 2017, Education, IIFYM and Macros, Nutrition, Uncategorized

Tagged as 40 and fit, 8 weeks to 40, 8 weeks to summer, autoimmune, autoimmune protocol, balanced intake, bikini ready, fit at 40, get summer ready, healthy diet, how to get lean, hypothyroid, IIFYM, increase metabolic capacity, leaning out, losing weight, macros, metabolic capacity, metabolism, nutrition consulting, Reverse Diet, Reverse Dieting

October 26, 2015 · 6:11 pm

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

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:

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).

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!

______________________________

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

Tagged as 1 week out, 40 and fit, 8 weeks to 40, Ashley Kaltwasser, Ashley Kaltwasser Glute & Ab Program, AshleyKfit, AshleyKfit Glute & Ab Program, balanced intake, fit at 40, how to get lean, How to reverse diet, hypothyroid, IIFYM, increase metabolic capacity, Jessie Hilgenberg, Jessie Hilgenberg e-book coupon, Jessie Hilgenberg workout, Jessie Hilgenbery, Jessie's Girls, leaning out, losing weight, macros, metabolic capacity, metabolism, nutrition consulting, Reverse Diet, Reverse Dieting

October 19, 2015 · 4:00 pm

8 Weeks to 40 – Week 6 Recap

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.

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.

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

Happy Monday everyone!

______________________________

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

2 Comments

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

Tagged as 2 weeks out, 40 and fit, 8 weeks to 40, Ashley Kaltwasser, Ashley Kaltwasser Glute & Ab Program, AshleyKfit, AshleyKfit Glute & Ab Program, balanced intake, fit at 40, how to get lean, hypothyroid, IIFYM, increase metabolic capacity, leaning out, losing weight, macros, metabolic capacity, metabolism, nutrition consulting, Reverse Diet, Reverse Dieting

October 12, 2015 · 5:57 pm

8 Weeks to 40 – Week 5 Recap

Date: 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.

______________________________

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?!?!?!

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!

______________________________

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

Tagged as 3 weeks out, 40 and fit, 8 weeks to 40, Ashley Kaltwasser, Ashley Kaltwasser Glute & Ab Program, AshleyKfit, AshleyKfit Glute & Ab Program, balanced intake, fit at 40, how to get lean, hypothyroid, IIFYM, increase metabolic capacity, leaning out, losing weight, macros, metabolic capacity, metabolism, nutrition consulting, Reverse Diet, Reverse Dieting

October 9, 2015 · 6:43 pm

How to Enter Your Specific Macro Goals into My Fitness Pal For IIFYM

I know the world of IIFYM (if it fits your macros) aka Flexible Dieting can be information overload for someone who is just starting out. It was for me, and I have been working in nutrition for years. There is no getting around the steep learning curve, but I thought I’d try and write a few posts detailing the “hows” of IIFYM.

I want to tackle how to track your macros in My Fitness Pal (MFP) and my first post in this series will detail how to set your particular macros in MFP so you can more accurately track them. How you do this will differ depending upon which level of MFP you have; the free version or Premium ($49.99/year). I personally have Premium because I wanted the ease of use, the extra features, and because it is an app I am in multiple times a day.

In an attempt to give my clients more options when it comes to tracking I did recently download My Macros+ (it’s only $2.99) and plan on posting tutorials for that app as well in the future.

FREE VERSION OF MyFitnessPal

The image (above left) is of the MFP homescreen. At the bottom you will see where I arrowed in red to the “MORE” area. Click on that and it will take you to the “More” screen (above right). Once in the More screen click on the “Goals” section.

Once in the “Goals” section click on the “Calories & Macronutrient Goals” area which will take you to the “Calories & Macros” screen (above right). You will see that MFP provides you with a “Default Goal” based on the questions it asked you when you first logged in.

When you work with me (Click HERE to learn more) I provide you with prescribed macros. If you would like to attempt to set your own macros you can go to sites like BodyBuilding.com for their Macro Calculator.

Once you have your macros you will need to amend the calories (above left). Click on the calories (1) and a number screen will pop-up. (2) Delete the “Default Goal” calories and (3) enter in the calories you should be eating. This is literally the ONLY time you should ever worry about calories because from here on out all you need to do is hit those daily carb, protein, and fat macros regardless of whether that puts you OVER or UNDER your calorie goal…it does not matter…MACROS, MACROS, MACROS.

Once you have entered the appropriate calories hit the “check mark” to save them. Now click on either “Carbohydrates 203 g”, “Protein 81 g”, or “Fat 54 g” and the screen below left will pop-up.

Scroll through the “Carbs” percentages until it is NEAR what your prescribed carbs should be. Remember, this is not Premium, so you can’t get exact on the grams. Do that for “Protein” and “Fat” as well and remember that the “% Total” (bottom right of the screen) must equal 100%.

In this example, my client has prescribed macros of 1620 calories 140C/130P/60F. This means that our “Close Enough” ended-up being 1623 calories 142C/122P/63F. Does that mean my client will eat the “Close Enough” macros??? NO. She will just have to remember what the macros that I gave her are…this is the downfall of the Free MFP service, but you all are more than smart enough to remember your macros.

PREMIUM VERSION OF MyFitnessPal

For the Premium version of MFP, to set your macros go to the Homescreen, click the “More” button on the bottom right (left screen above) and then click on the “Premium” button (top right screen above).

Once you are in the “Premium” screen (left screen above) click on the “Premium Features” tab and it will bring you to the “Premium Features” page (right screen above). Once there click on the “Macronutrients by Gram” tab.

This will bring you to the “Calories & Macros” page. Set your calories as described above in the FREE MFP Tutorial. Then, click on (1) “Carbohydrates 32%” tab which will pop-up the image in the above right screen. (2) Make sure to click the “Grams” button so you are able to set your macros in specific grams. Once you have clicked the grams button (3) scroll through each macro and set your particular macros exactly as they were prescribed. Remember to (4) click the check mark to save your macros.

Premium MFP has another neat feature which is great if you are carb-cycling. Carb cycling means that your macros are different on different days usually in relation to the level of training you will be doing that day. For example, my highest carb day is on my heaviest leg day (weight lifting). The “Different Goals by Day” feature above allows me to pre-set those macros for those days that are different than my normal days and I do not have to remember to switch them in MFP on those days because they automatically pop-up (nice run-on sentence, huh?).

To set the macros for those days that do not fit your default days, click the “Add Daily Goal” button (above right screen).

And that my friends is how you set your daily macro goals in My Fitness Pal.

My next tutorial will detail how I go about planning my macros for the day food-wise and how I am able to hit them usually dead-on or within 2 grams either way.

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Filed under Education, IIFYM and Macros, My Fitness Pal, Nutrition

Tagged as balanced intake, bodybuilding.com, How to enter macro goals into My Fitness Pal, how to get lean, how to hit your macros perfect, how to hit your macros perfectly, how to use MFP, how to use my fitness pal, IIFYM, increase metabolic capacity, leaning out, losing weight, macro calculator, macros, metabolic capacity, metabolism, MFP, My Fitness Pal, my fitness pal and iifym, my fitness pal and macros, My Macros+, MyMacros+, nutrition consulting

October 5, 2015 · 7:11 pm

8 Weeks to 40 – Week 4 Recap

Date: 10/5/15

Height: 5’8 3/4″

Weight: 137.1 (down 2.1 from last week; 1.4lbs. from the week before)

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….Why mess with something if it is working???

Confession time…I broke and used the rest of the Coffeemate in my fridge. I couldn’t waste it, right? So how do I explain the fact that I bought more? By telling you that I am human.

I have been chewing gum crazy for years (like more than a pack a day) and gave it up a few weeks before I began my 8 Weeks to 40 plan and I have managed to NOT chew ANY gum since then which I consider a victory! I have also managed to stay away from frozen yogurt for the last 4 weeks and if you look through my Instagram feed you will see plainly that it was a weekly habit and one that was overflowing with candy toppings. I have decided that I can give myself some grace and break my Coffeemate habit at a later date.

I did experience some hunger again this week, however that is to be expected and will be rectified soon when I begin my Reverse Diet in a few weeks. I was also a little sluggish on some days, but that seemed to coincide with the days when we had grey Fall weather (that ALWAYS gets me). I’m a girl of the sun…I don’t care if it is cold as long as the sun is out.

As I mentioned above I am planning on keeping the same macros this week. Oftentimes people have this odd itch to switch-up their macros and speed-up the weight loss. I want to preserve my muscle and keep any fat loss nice and slow so I do not dip in to that muscle I have been working so hard to build.

I’m half way through my planned cut and excited to see what the next 4 weeks bring.

______________________________

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 5 Recap

6 Comments

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

Tagged as 4 weeks out, 40 and fit, 8 weeks to 40, balanced intake, fit at 40, how to get lean, hypothyroid, IIFYM, increase metabolic capacity, leaning out, losing weight, macros, metabolic capacity, metabolism, nutrition consulting, Reverse Diet, Reverse Dieting

September 28, 2015 · 6:26 pm

8 Weeks to 40 – Week 3 Recap

Date: 9/28/15

Height: 5’9″

Weight: 139.2 (up from last week…see below)

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 as last week’s.

As you can see from the above stats, my weight actually went up 0.7lbs., but I don’t think that is actually an accurate number for the following reasons:

I went out of town this past weekend (for my niece’s Juvenile Diabetes Walk).
I did not sleep as much as usual (raises cortisol).
I was able to still hit my macros while out of town.
The majority of my protein this past weekend came from my husband’s amazing pulled pork, which also happens to be pretty salty.
I drank 3 diet sodas yesterday (I am NOT a soda drinker) because I was getting tired while driving home from our road trip and I needed the caffeine…that’s the only time I ever drink soda…super rare.
Since I was in the car for 7 hours yesterday I did NOT drink my gallon of water.
Lastly, um…how do I put this?…My bathroom habits weren’t normal this weekend.

I took above ab progress picture this morning after my workout and despite the number on the scale I SEE the progress.

I think it is important for everyone to remember that we lead busy lives and we need to LIVE them and enjoy them. It would never cross my mind to not eat my hubby’s amazing pulled pork (it’s soooo good!) because it might affect the number on the scale, or to not allow myself the freedom to have a soda (or three) on a rare occasion, etc. It all evens out in the end. Consistency is what really matters over the long term.

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 4 Recap

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

Tagged as 40 and fit, 5 weeks out, 8 weeks to 40, balanced intake, fit at 40, how to get lean, hypothyroid, IIFYM, increase metabolic capacity, leaning out, losing weight, macros, metabolic capacity, metabolism, nutrition consulting, Reverse Diet, Reverse Dieting

September 21, 2015 · 4:21 pm

8 Weeks to 40 – Week 2 Recap

Date: 9/14/15

Height: 5’9″ (Um…apparently I shrank. I just went to the Dr. last week and I am no longer 5’9 1/2″)

Weight: 138.5 (down 1.9lbs. since last week / 5.3lbs TOTAL)

Last Week’s Macros:

Monday -Thursday & Saturday 1515 calories 120C / 135P / 55F

Friday 1736 calories 180C / 146P / 48F (heaviest weight lifting day)

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

This 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 past week was a good one, though it was the first week I experienced some hunger. My goal during this 8 week “cut” is not to lose a ton of weight. My weight loss has been a bit ahead of schedule, so I am actually adding in a little more food this week and will see how my body responds to that.

If by Friday I am still losing weight at a more rapid rate than I would like, I will make my refeed larger than planned.

Have an awesome week everyone!

Click HERE for the Day 1 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 1 Recap

Click HERE for the Week 3 Recap

7 Comments

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

Tagged as 40 and fit, 6 weeks out, 8 weeks to 40, balanced intake, fit at 40, how to get lean, hypothyroid, IIFYM, increase metabolic capacity, leaning out, losing weight, macros, metabolic capacity, metabolism, nutrition consulting, Reverse Diet, Reverse Dieting