Since beginning my healthy transition last June, I've seen my physical strength, endurance, & energy increase, while I have lost some weight, too. I can't really say I've hit a plateau. Looking at everything I do on a daily basis, I decided it was time to reevaluate my goals and everything I was doing.
I've been very disciplined to tracking and sticking to my calories everyday (most days ending with a deficit thanks to exercise). My most repeated phrase these past months has been, "I'm eating right." And in my opinion, I honestly was. I prepare home-cooked meals with lean cuts of meat. We eat our veggies. We eat whole grains. Eating 3 meals a day, with healthy snacks between, all while sticking to my set calories of around 1800-2000 per day. Sounds like a good plan, right? I thought so. That's what I'd read I should do.
As the weeks and months passed, I wasn't 100% happy with my progress. I'm in the gym 6 days a week balancing strength training and doing hours of cardio. Eating right, resting, and keeping stress at bay, why hadn't my body caught up with the work I was putting forth? I knew I was getting stronger each week because my body was performing and tackling new challenges that it hadn't been capable of before. What I wasn't seeing was definition, and a change in my appearance (at least, not as fast as I was hoping).
The Missing piece.
Imagine you buy a puzzle. The box says it's 1000 pieces. If you're like me, you sort out the flat edges to make the boarder of the puzzle. Lots of tiny puzzle pieces to sort through, but you finally get your boarder constructed. As you were searching for the flat-edged pieces, you were also sorting the other pieces by color and pattern. Now it's time to fill in the middle. This puzzle is challenging and time-consuming, but you're determined to complete it. You near the end, only to find you're missing a piece. Where is it? How could you have misplaced it? You trusted that when you'd bought the puzzle that all the pieces would be there. Your unfinished puzzle sits on your coffee table for weeks, and you can't help but feel like you'd wasted tons of precious time constructing it all for nothing. Then one day, while picking up a few things around the house, you find the puzzle piece!!! It had fallen inside one of your shoes that you had on the floor by the table where you'd been putting the puzzle together. Finally, the puzzle was complete, and you fell a big sense of accomplishment seeing your time and work pay off. What a beautiful puzzle.
Marcos was my missing puzzle piece.
While I thought I had my diet in check, I didn't know the past 12 months that I was missing key pieces to the puzzle. You can't just cut out fast food and sodas...there's more you can do to ensure your body gets the proper nutrition needed to meet your goals. It was time to view foods based on their nutritional content vs just their calorie total.
Welcome to the world of Macro Nutrients (aka Macros). Macros is tracking your daily grams of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates consumed. Whether trying to lose weight, build muscle, and/or maintain weight, macros can be what makes or breaks reaching your desired goals.
There's so much conflicting articles of the "best method" of counting macros. After feeling very confused from reading all the "expert" opinions on macros, I consulted my personal trainer. Ultimately, he said, "Everyone is different." That eased the pressure of thinking I'd mess this up. I was looking for a "one size fits all" method. And that's just silly. We are not all the same, nor do we all have the same goals, so my macros needed to be geared toward me and my goals.
So, here's what I decided I needed based on my conversation with my trainer and my personal goals:
1. My protein intake needed to be increased. My goal is geared toward building more lean muscle mass. For that, and as a woman, I need to eat about 1 gram per pound of my body weight to increase my muscle mass. Sadly, I was only getting about a third of that while eating right. What I was eating wasn't even enough to maintain the muscles that I do have. Not eating enough protein, paired with my workout schedule, has been a big reason why I'm not seeing the results I have been expecting.
2. My carbohydrate intake was fine where it is. Carbs provide the fuel you need for energy throughout your day. Cutting my carbs wouldn't be ideal for me because I'm not looking to lose weight drastically, and I definitely don't want to compromise my energy levels. Carbs are not bad (even though there are plenty of people saying they are). Carbs are the first fuel source that your body will use as energy. Carbs are needed for proper fictions of the central nervous system, kidneys, brain, and muscles (including your heart). Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are a great way to get the carbs your body needs each day.
3. Fats are needed, too. It wasn't something that I really needed to rein in, but keeping my daily intake in check will help me reach my goals. The fats I consume come from real butter, avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, nut butters, cheese, yogurt, etc.
Calories: people are always demonizing calories. They're not the enemy, and almost all foods contain them. Did you know that a calorie is just a unit of energy? Specifically, a calorie is the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water through 1 °C.
See why we need to rethink the way we look at calories and not fear them? Honestly, I was scared at first to increase my caloric intake, but I'm glad I did. My body needs calories and so much more.
1 gram of Protein has 4 calories.
1 gram of Carbs has 4 calories.
1 gram of Fat has 9 calories.
And just for fun, 1 gallon of gasoline has 31,000 calories! Calories=Energy
Now for the numbers. I personally set my macros with these percentages:
I based my caloric intake on my starting weight: 135 lbs, 5'5", and am happy with that weight.
I will say, even though I'm content being at 135 lbs, I've actually lost weight since tracking my macros. I'm eating more, and have lost 3 lbs in 18 days of eating based on nutrition instead of just counting calories. So, as I type this, my weight this morning was actually 132.4, down from 135.4 when I started my macros tracking.
Great, you know my personal numbers, but let's figure out how to find yours.
How do you start?
Well, first, I'd recommend you decide what your goal is.
•Are you wanting to lose weight?
•Are you wanting to cut your body fat?
•Are you wanting to increase your lean muscle mass?
Your macros will be based on your personal goals.
Once you know your goal, go to this Macros Calculator to find our your numbers. Here you'll enter your numbers (weight, height, gender, age, exercise level, and your current body fat % is optional). You'll get 2 numbers generated: BMR and TDEE.
BMR: Basal Metabolic Rate-this is the estimate of how many calories your body burns every 24 hours just surviving (sit back on the couch and don't do anything...all day long). This is the minimum amount of energy needed to keep your body functioning (breathing, heart beating, etc). This number is so important. This is why when people are on low calorie diets, they may see some weight loss at first (this is because their body will tap into their fat stores immediately to use as energy to keep their body functioning), but they will plateau. Their body will go into starvation mode and hold onto every little bit of nourishment it's fed as an effort to keep functioning.
TDEE: Total Daily Energy Expenditure-this is the amount of calories your body burns in 24 hours doing things (sleeping, working, exercising, playing, walking, even digesting food!). Consuming this amount of calories daily will be what you need to maintain your current weight.
Using the Macros Calculator still, you need to see what your recommended daily caloric intake should be to meet your goals (Fat Loss-Maintain-Weight Gain-Custom).
Your numbers will reflect your goals. The calculator will generate how many daily calories you need, and how many grams of protein, fats, and carbs you should consume daily to meet your goals. You can even add more customization if you know you'd need to, say like me, get more protein and/or carbs.
How do you start?
Well, first, I'd recommend you decide what your goal is.
•Are you wanting to lose weight?
•Are you wanting to cut your body fat?
•Are you wanting to increase your lean muscle mass?
Your macros will be based on your personal goals.
Once you know your goal, go to this Macros Calculator to find our your numbers. Here you'll enter your numbers (weight, height, gender, age, exercise level, and your current body fat % is optional). You'll get 2 numbers generated: BMR and TDEE.
BMR: Basal Metabolic Rate-this is the estimate of how many calories your body burns every 24 hours just surviving (sit back on the couch and don't do anything...all day long). This is the minimum amount of energy needed to keep your body functioning (breathing, heart beating, etc). This number is so important. This is why when people are on low calorie diets, they may see some weight loss at first (this is because their body will tap into their fat stores immediately to use as energy to keep their body functioning), but they will plateau. Their body will go into starvation mode and hold onto every little bit of nourishment it's fed as an effort to keep functioning.
TDEE: Total Daily Energy Expenditure-this is the amount of calories your body burns in 24 hours doing things (sleeping, working, exercising, playing, walking, even digesting food!). Consuming this amount of calories daily will be what you need to maintain your current weight.
Using the Macros Calculator still, you need to see what your recommended daily caloric intake should be to meet your goals (Fat Loss-Maintain-Weight Gain-Custom).
Your numbers will reflect your goals. The calculator will generate how many daily calories you need, and how many grams of protein, fats, and carbs you should consume daily to meet your goals. You can even add more customization if you know you'd need to, say like me, get more protein and/or carbs.
Play with the calculator and give a macros based meal plan a try. It's changed everything for me! I started seeing more defined abs just a few days after getting my macros in order. And it's actually kind of fun. I simply log meals in My Fitness Pal (can be used both online or through their app). As the day progresses, I can watch my macros and see, "Okay, I need to get more protein...dinner needs to be low fat...I ate most of my carbs at breakfast." I'm not just watching my calories and having to tell myself, "I can't eat this because it has too many calories."
To see your macros, nutrition, and calories as the day progresses and you're eating, just scroll down to the bottom of your food diary in My Fitness Pal app, and click on Nutrition.
See this? This is the difference that macros had made. And I seriously felt like my tummy got flatter and more defined in just a matter of a couple of days doing a Macros-based meal plan. But it's done so much more. My energy levels are through the roof!!! I thought I had energy before, but no...nothing like this. Viewing food as fuel, and then giving your body the fuel it needs, that just means it's able to go. If you're tired of being tired, and don't want to be dragging ass during the day, it's time to fuel your body with nutrition and not just calories.
Listen up! I'm a mom of 5...yes, 5!!!
I decided that while having kids, going through FIVE pregnancies and labors, that having that mom body wasn't going to be what I lived in. What being a mom has taught me is that I'm freaking strong as hell. I'm only limited by my own actions or lack there of. This is so much more than losing weight from having kids. This is about living a life that I love in a healthy, strong body that I'm damn proud of. No more layering clothes to hide a loose tummy. No more telling my husband to keep the lights off when we're intimate. No more avoiding looking at my own body because of disgust. I can say it and mean it: I LOVE MY BODY!!! And the best thing...I didn't starve for this.
Using My Fitness Pal is so simple! Check out my diary and more HERE. There you can see exactly what I eat and scroll back and view previous entries.
My year has been amazing, and it's just getting better. The changes I've seen are my motivation to keep pushing to meet my goals.
What's been my routine now that I'm tracking macros?
Morning: I like to eat a breakfast high in carbs to get energy for my workout.
PreWorkout: This is either 2 cups of black coffee or 1 can of ENERGY. Caffeine is all you need. Be weary of preworkout mixes containing artificial sweeteners and ingredients.
Late Morning: I workout. I complete 6 strength training workouts weekly and have actually cut back on my cardio. Cardio is completed 3-4 times per week, and about 30 minutes each time.
Post Workout: After every workout, I drink a protein shake. It's crucial to feed your muscles protein after a workout so they can start the rebuilding process.
Lunch: Now I start watching my protein intake and making sure my macros are starting to even out for the day.
Snack: Yes, I snack. I get grumpy when I'm hungry. And quite frankly, it's the only way I can get in all my carbs/protein/fat needed for the day. I need to eat frequently throughout the day.
Dinner: This is usually protein (chicken or turkey mainly) served with vegetables and maybe some brown rice.
Snack: Yup, another snack. This is usually when I hit my macro numbers for the day and close out my diary. It's nothing heavy. Maybe some greek yogurt or a whole-food protein bar...sometimes a smoothie.
Evening: This isn't everyday, but sometimes I hit the gym twice in one day. This is how I get my cardio in (because I hardly ever feel like jumping right into cardio after strength training). And even after a second visit to the gym, I still drink another protein shake to feed my muscles.
In addition to this, I'm
- Drinking Water. Drinking half my body weight in ounces DAILY (135 divided by 2=67.5oz)
- Taking my Vitamins: I use
- It's Vital (multivitamin)
- ThermoFit (metabolism booster)
- Confianza (stress reliever)
- Hair Skin Nails (because, yeah, I want healthy hair, skin, and nails)
- New You (this boosts natural production of HGH, and helps build lean muscle mass, plus helps me get the best sleep ever!)
- Body Contouring Wraps (my first wrap actually gave me hope of having my pre-baby body back. I use them just like any other supplementation to keeping my body looking great).
- Getting a full night rest.
- Keeping stress at bay. A few deep breaths and a 10-second personal time out works wonders.
What do I eat? Well, you can see that by visiting my open diary here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/4miwrap
But to give you a visual, here's what I ate this past Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday's meals:
•Breakfast sandwich with 2 eggs & salsa
•sliced apple with peanut butter
•turkey sandwich with cucumber & mustard
•fruit & protein smoothie & Greek yogurt
•turkey chili & crackers
•protein shake & protein bar
Sunday's meals:
•ENERGY & Greek yogurt
•pita stuffed with chicken breast, chopped cucumber, and Greek yogurt dip
•protein shake & protein bar
•we ate at Chili's...I started with a salad and, for my meal, I had (and finished) a 6oz sirloin, grilled chicken breast, and broccoli
See, you can EAT, and eat really good, and still get results.
Ready to start your own transformation? Join me in my women-only Facebook group to #GetYourHealthBack. We're a community focused around support and help to reach your goals. Or contact me at www.4miwrap.com
UPDATE 09/10/15
For the past 5 weeks, I've slashed my caloric intake. I wanted to see what I could do and how my body would respond to this change. I still get to eat plenty of food, I'm just being more strict in my choices.
It's good to make attainable goals. And when you reach those goals, it's time to set a new one. I actually had got down to 130 lbs because of following a macros based plan. This weight loss seemed to happen effortlessly. I couldnt remember the last time I'd been under 130, so I made it my new goal to reach 125 lbs. Not only to reach it, but to do so without starving myself.
What change have I made?
I cut my calories from 2295 to 1660.
I cut my Carbs to 200g (50%).
I cut my Fat to 36g (20%).
I cut my protein to 125g (30%).
Workout change:
I was strength training 4 times a week (45 minute workouts), and was getting cardio done 2 times a week (only 20-30 minutes of cardio each time).
However, the past 2 weeks, I've only gone to the gym about 5 times. I still have plenty of energy, even though I've cut my calories, but my body really needed a time of rest and recovery. Most people believe that muscles are built in the gym, but it's actually during their rest and recovery time that growth occurs. I'm now getting back into my regular workout routine, but that time of rest was much needed.
I've lost weight. I'm not at my goal, but currently weighing 128.6 lbs.
I've lost body fat percentage. I hit 19.6%.
I'm seeing results from changing my caloric intake, but doing it slowly, as it should be done.
When I do reach my weight goal, I'll run my macro number again to find a good medium to maintain my new weight and start building muscle mass again.
UPDATE 03/06/2016
This is why I love playing with my nutrition. In my last update, I shared how I had dropped my calories. Honestly, I just wanted to see what I could do and how I could handle that drop. I handled it well, but I knew that number was too low for me and wasn't producing the goals I was wanting. So I gradually increased my numbers… From 1600 I went up to 1800. Sat there for a couple weeks, and then increase to 2000. I kept my percentages at
50% carbs
30% protein
20% fat
And, oh, what a difference I saw.
The proof is in the pictures below. You can see how much my muscle mass increased as I changed my intake. My way is pretty much the same… I'm staying between 130 and 132 pounds.
HUGE difference in my muscle mass.
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