Hello Hello…

I know it’s been way too long. Summer has just been so busy, fun busy, but still busy. However, I have missed blogging A LOT. I’m hoping to get back into regularly posting again ASAP. By the end of the day exhaustion just gets the best of me.

I have been getting a lot of messages lately asking about macro counting, fitness, etc. So, I thought I would fill you in on where I am at with my diet and exercise program.

A brief history of my time with macro counting:

I began counting in October 2016 on my own. I really didn’t know what I was doing so I started with simply trying to hit certain percentages each day (I was not focusing on exact numbers). I wasn’t seeing great results so I decided to begin working with Quicney Whimpey @iheartmacros in the beginning of December 2016 and had success right away; even through the holidays. I not only lost 9 pounds in 12 weeks, I began healing my relationship with my body and food. I felt great and loved the flexibility counting macros gave me. During those 12 weeks I even took a little break from working out due to a personal matter and still saw those amazing results. Once I started my intense BBG (Bikini Body Guide) workouts again I was hungry, so we upped my macros and that seemed to do the trick.

I stuck with those same numbers for awhile, but stopped seeing results. I was also noticing a lack of energy (which is never good with four daughters). My “treat” meals were quickly becoming “treat” days, which was a sign that I needed more food on a regular basis. I was HUNGRY!!

June 2017 I signed up with Avatar Nutrition. At first I set my goal to slow sustainable fat loss and I was seeing some more progress, but quickly realized I didn’t need to focus on losing any more weight. I needed to focus on finding my maintenance calories, healing my metabolism (from years of eating in a caloric deficit), and changing my mindset. I needed to begin reverse dieting. Which was beyond scary to me. Up my calories? What?

If you have never heard of Avatar Nutrition, you must look into it. What they offer for only $20 a month is amazing. I love that each week my numbers get adjusted as needed. You choose your goal from fat loss to reverse to muscle gain. The options are endless.

Honestly, I cannot believe I thought I needed more fat loss. I think we get so wrapped up in losing weight, losing fat that once we get there we don’t know what to do next. That was me. For as long as I can remember I was always trying to lose weight or “tone” up. But, not this time, not any more. I am now focusing on becoming my healthiest and strongest self.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and I changed my goal (on the avatar site) to conservative reserve dieting. In this plan my carbs and fats increased slightly each week depending upon how my body was responding to the increases. If I gained more than .6 pounds in a week my macros stayed steady for as long as needed. My goal throughout my reverse was to simply find my maintenance macros. Maybe someday I will venture into the muscle building phase, but I am not sure when I will be mentally ready for that. We will see.

Weeks 1 & 2

My carbs have gone up about 30 grams and my fats about 10 grams in the past 2 weeks. So far everything has been going great. I have actually lost 1/2 a pound and feel so much stronger. I can’t wait to see where the next 8-12 weeks takes my body.

My goal for this reverse is to gain no more then 2-3 pounds and find my maintenance calories. After this phase of reversing I will maintain for several weeks then figure out my next goal.

I have truly fallen in love with all things health and fitness. I love setting goals and achieving them, so I know I will come up with something fun after reversing and maintaining for awhile.

In these past almost 3 weeks I have started to think differently. I love weigh-in day because I get to eat more food. I love that my goals are not about restricting myself. I love that I am focusing on being healthier, having more energy and becoming stronger.

For me counting macros is not about what I can’t have, it’s about what I can have and still feel great. I can have that piece of pizza and cake, but I might pair it with a salad. No food is off limits and I love that feeling. Now, I do typically choose healthier options, but there are days when I will have my pizza or ice cream or cake; just maybe not all three!