Eat More to Weigh Less

"Eat More To Weigh Less!"

I wish I could shout this to the world. 

I wish  I had heard those words 4 years ago

 (but then again I may not have understood them as I do now). 

I wish good and sound nutrition was broadcasted to our ears instead of the junk/fake/made-to-fail stuff we keep trying over and over. 

I started my weight loss journey 4 years ago, reached my goal a year and a half ago, and now I'm just trying to live a healthy and positive life.

It's not a cake walk--although I love that game, walk around in a circle and win a cake, GENIUS--however, it is rewarding knowing and feeling literally more alive.

Food wise, my journey began with cutting and counting those calories. I discovered that 1200 calories a day was the lowest limit prescribed to a female, so that is exactly where I set my daily intake goal. For almost 2 years I only ate 1200 calories a day.

Seriously. I worked out like crazy, mainly hours on the elliptical and running outside,

(Hey, I did run a half marathon in under 2 hours!)

 

and still only ate 1200 calories a day. I mean they said burn more than you eat so I tried, and I was starving myself.

Oh I lost weight, in fact it was on that regiment that I reached my weight loss goal (YEAH), but I didn't feel right. Sure, I looked great, but I felt weak, and ALWAYS hungry.

Now, after I reached my goal I didn't know what to do. I was getting married, moving away from my home, and there was no way I could keep this strict diet for the rest of my life; it wasn't normal or natural.

So I let go. 

I quickly gained back 10lbs which was discouraging. But, this time I had a stepping block because I knew I could reach that goal again. I mean I was just there, but I needed to find a better way to get there; a way that I could maintain for the rest of my life (well the part I can control).

So I said to myself, forget the scale. I just want to be healthy and STRONG.

And thus weight lifting came into my life.

I joined the website bodybuilding.com because first of all have you seen the pictures they post of the people that use and promote their site? Pure awesome.

Secondly, I read a lot of articles they've published about nutrition, especially woman's nutrition (Female's Fitness Bible being my favorite) and was hooked.
From there I found Jamie Eason. A world class female fitness model and trainer whose goal in life is to help educate people about nutrition--my kind of gal.

I signed up to do her 12 Week LiveFit Trainer workout and nutrition plan

 

(Click HERE to see my journey)

and in 12 weeks not only was my body changed, but so was my life.

Within the first month I couldn't believe the transformation my body was going through, best of all I was getting abs by eating more!
You know that saying that is going around "abs are made in the kitchen?" Well after my first month I knew it was true and I couldn't have been more excited.

I made it though the 3 month journey,  no easy feat let me tell you, but I learned so much about nutrition and strength training, and how when combined properly they could produce amazing life-maintaining  results.

So what did I eat?

It was hard to get started on the Livefit trainer nutrition plan because the first month called for no calorie counting, just body fueling she called it. (with exercise of course)

So ate I ate everything really, that was whole and natural  (with a few chocolate cakes in between, not going to lie) 6 times a day. 6 full meals. Not 3 meals and 3 snacks--although some meals were bigger than others-- none of them lacked in nutrients.

 Months 2 and 3 calories came back into the picture but at no loss. I would eat high days and low days just to keep my body guessing, but those calorie counts were nowhere near 1200; more like 1450 on low and 1600-1650 on high.

I would say my biggest food/fuel source was protein. I upped my protein intake dramatically, I am talking 6oz of protein 2 times a day plus protein shakes and other rich in protein foods such as greek yogurt, cottage cheese, nuts, etc.

*check out my high protein meal ideas*

I did eat carbs such as brown rice, whole wheat bread, pita,and quinoa, but I learned the power of only eating them when I was also eating high amounts of veggies and/or protein. This stopped my glycemic index from spiking and kept my body's metabolism working harder for longer.

Now pair  this new nutrition with heavy weight lifting routines and minimal but high interval cardio sessions, and I got a  transformed body and a fat burning machine--okay, well that's what she said it was.

BUT
I truly felt that way, and by the end of the 12 weeks, I actually gained weight--of pure muscle of course-- and lost 3% of my body fat! Inches gone all around.

I was over the moon. Muscles are more toned than ever, fat is shrinking, and best of all I am NEVER hungry!

The whole plan is a  little more complicated than this, I mean, it's a life changer. But I encourage you to look into the Livefit trainer challenge and see if it's for you.

12 weeks truly isn't that long and it will honestly change your life.

The biggest thing I want you to take from this article is that food is not the enemy (thank God, says the food addict inside of me), and it can actually help you loose weight if you eat it in the right ways (all good ways in my opinion)  and maintain healthy workout regiments that doesn't only include slaving away on the the elliptical or treadmill.

GO LIFT SOME WEIGHTS!

If you have any questions or comments please do not hesitate to ask!

Many blessing on your journey!

LiveFit The FINAL RESULTS(week 9-12 combined)

sorry this is sooo late..... but I'm

Done.

Yup. 12 weeks. Finished.

I am so proud of myself. It was not easy, but it was fun. Honestly, this was such a life changing experience. I worked my butt, arms, and stomach off and I feel fantastic.

I feel smaller all around the numbers show success.

The last three weeks were the hardest mostly because you had to pay the most attention to your diet and push hard every day to ensure results. I had to switch things up a bit because my schedule got very crazy. It turned out that I worked out 3-4x a week (Weds-Sunday) and I managed to get the 7 days worth of exercise in by doubling up on certain days.

I slacked a bit on the cardio, I really tried to do every one, but I seriously only had about an hour a day and the weight lifting itself takes a lot of time if you are going to do it right.

I did however, learn to love HIIT--High Intense Interval Training for the cardio.

Me right after a HIIT workout. 

Sweat and all!

Sprinting 30 sec at a 2.5 incline at an 8.0 speed then 30 sec rest, repeat for 30 min.
I felt like a beast, and doubled my calorie burn in less time. Whoot!

The diet for the final phase changed dramatically. We started carb cycling. I would usually go Sunday-Tuesday low car, High carb wednesday, and the last week high carb Saturday. The interesting part was that you kept the same calorie intake for each high or low day. So I found low carb higher calorie foods for low days: such as nuts, cottage cheese, string cheese etc; and then switched to low calorie high carb foods such as oatmeal, apples, bananas, soup etc. It was fun but repetitive.


The weight lifting also switched gears. Instead of focusing on pushing yourself to high weight you lowered you weights and pushed yourself to more more reps. That was hard. You really had to concentrate on form because even though you were using less weight your were doubling or tripling the amount of time you lifted it. Ouch.

Overall, I am ecstatic with my results. I feel wonderful, my body looks fitter, and best of all I feel stronger!

My Numeric Results:

          Before:                                                       After:

• Weight                 139lbs                                                  140lb
• Body fat:            24%                                                    21%
• Chest:                   34 in                                                    35.5in
• Arms                    11.3 in                                                 12.5in
• Hips                    36.50 in                                               34in
• Waist                  33.50 in                                               31in
• Thighes                 22in                                                     22.4in
• Calves:                 15 in                                                    14.5in
• Forearms:       8 in                                                      9in
• Shoulders:          40.5 in                                                 42.4in

 

          What's next?

More weightlifting and more HIIT!
I think I'll be on the look out for  another program ( I like striving for a goal, keeps me motivated), but until then I might just use the workouts from phase 2 and 3. They are just so great and versatile. I think I'll do carb cycling often but not every week.

I hope that my journey helps you find your way through yours and know that you are not alone. It's never ending but we can all do it together! On to the next thing!

 

Wanna See my whole journey through LiveFit? 

CLICK HERE

and scroll down! 

LiveFit Update (a.k.a.Phase 2 Week 8)

Well... I was in a car accident.

A pretty bad one;  

actually coming home from the gym...

I totaled my car and badly banged up my knees

How did this happen?!? 

Well it was snowing in May....really... MAY!

 I miss you so cal, I miss you.

 Praise be to God, I am alright and no one was badly hurt.

Sad thing? 

I had to put a  little hold on LiveFit. 

Not for too long though.

It's been about a week since the accident and I picked up day 55 this past Friday. 

Since I bruised my knees pretty bad the doctor told me to lay off the heavy weight lifting the requires leg strength for about 2 weeks.

She did say I could move this up if I felt like I could handle it, but to go slow. 

Friday I was not ready, but today is Sunday and they are doing/feeling okay. 

Still look ugly--bruises don't go away quickly. 

But I think come tomorrow I will start up day 54 (I did 55 before 54 since 54 is legs) and finish week 8 and thus finish phase 2.

I apologize this wont be like my other posts where I give weight lifting and food advice, but I didn't want to leave the people following my journey, now and in the future, hanging.

I look forward to the new challenge and am excited to start phase 3!!!!! 

Pictures from phase 2 will come soon! 

** *UPDATE Same day: I should have looked into phase 3 before I posted this. First 2 weeks include high pressure on the knees with all those plyometric jumps. 
So I think its best if I repeat week 8 just to get back into the momentum. I promise to push my self hard.
  I got this!***

 My thoughts exactly:

If you interested in following my journey,

 CLICK HERE and scroll down.

LiveFit Phase 2 Week 7

Phew! This week FLEW by. 

I have been so busy, that that days just seem to blur together! 

I didn't add up my weekly weight total because I just didn't have time. But I know I upped my weights yet again and she was not kidding when she said we would be sore because she up the set total from 3-4. 

Body part of notice, my thighs! 
I have always been self conscious of my legs because they are big. I have come to terms with this over the years and when I was heavy into running they became big in a lean muscle way. However, thanks to this program, I have the beginnings of beautiful definition. Like GOOD LOOKIN' definition that you know you admire from a far in the gym in really buff people....I've started that... be jealous!

Weight Training Tip: Squats!
 
One of the most effective full body weight training exercise out there are weighted squats.  Most people think that they are just a leg exercise but if you are performing them with the proper form you will know right away you are using your entire body to do the exercise. 
Don't let the weight intimidate you and give it try with these great instructions from healthylivingforyou.tumbler.com 

How to Squat
The Squat Setup

• Approach the rack with the bar at approximately mid-chest height.
• Move under the bar and place it on your back. Hold the bar in place with your hands.
• Stand with and even stance. Your feet should be shoulder width apart with your feet facing out at a 30 degree angle.
• Lift the bar out of the rack and take ONLY one step back. Take a big breath. Tense your entire body. Squat.

Squatting Down

• Start from the hips – Bend at your hips and sit back into the squat. Imagine you are sitting down on a seat. The hips joint should always bend before your knees.
• Check your knees – Keep your knees out. Your knee joints should be pointing in the same direction as your feet all the way down. If your knee buckle in it normally means that the weight is too heavy.
• Keep your weight back – Keep your weight distributed towards your heel.
• Go all the way down – You should always aim to squat to at least parallel. Meaning, your hip joint needs to be at least parallel with your knee joint. This is incredibly difficult to judge yourself, even with the aid of a mirror. Ask someone else to assess your depth either in the gym or by video taping.
• Think about squatting up - On the way down think about squatting up. This will help to prepare your brain and make the upward movement easier.

Squatting Up

• Bounce off the bottom – At the bottom position of the squat your hip muscles should be tight – storing energy. Use this energy to help you bounce out of the bottom of the squat. Ensure that you are bouncing off the hips – not the knees.
• Focus on your glutes – When powering up out of the squat concentrate on squeezing your glutes together.
• Drive your hips up – Most of the power for the squat comes from the hips. Drive the hips in an upward motion.

Racking the bar

• Step forward. Ensure that your bar is over the pins before lowering the weight.

Food!!!!

I am finding it hard to eat a mid-afternoon 'meal' that includes 6 oz or meat and a carb because I have a desk job, and for lunch I can leave and it's no problem whipping out that meat, but mid-afternoon, I'm still at a desk and whipping out 6oz of meat is pretty odd. 

So I normally try and make  meal with equivalent protein. 
Some examples of this would be: 

• a pita filled with 2 tbs of almond butter mixed with 1 tbs plain greek yogurt, and 1 tsp honey and half of a banana paired with lots of veggies. 

• 1/2 cup cottage cheese with lots of veggies and some rice cakes, 

• a protein shake with some rice cakes.

• 1 oz of Almonds and veggies

Any other ideas? I would love to hear them! 

I have been sticking to the no starchy carb for dinner and after though. So I'm proud of that. 

About to start the last week of phase 2: Week 8 and I know I've got this! 

LiveFit Phase 2 Week 6

 

This is the half way mark!

 6 Weeks DONE!

 6 Weeks to Go!

Other than that, honestly, not much. 

 I felt a little drag this week but I kept going. 

I will finish strong. 

The cardio became something I looked forward to and I'm feeling great body-wise. 

Body part of notice: My neck. 

Oddly enough I am gaining muscle there and I think it makes my face look leaner...

...if that is possible. 

Any-who,

Weight Lifting Tip: 
Less weights more reps vs heavier weight less reps.

•  Truthfully, they work hand in hand if combined in a proper sequence. I have read article after article where these two statements hash it out  ...."lift lighter for more reps for leaner muscle, no, lift heavier for less reps for lean muscle"; but really it's just working your muscle groups in a verity of sequence that will give you the ultimate lean muscles. 
• Don't be afraid to lift heavy, in fact it stimulates the muscles in a positive way. 
• With that said, don't over do it. Add a few lighter sets into your workout to work form, and keep your body from over exertion.  

Food Tip: 

More is better. 

• When I first started my weight loss journey I bought into the lie that I needed to eat less to weight less. It worked for awhile, but then I plateaued, then I had to do some crazy meal shake diet which was all just a temporary fix and I never felt right.  Thankfully,  my knowledge of healthy and wellness expanded and I learned that if I ate more, and more frequently while maintaining a healthy workout regimen I was actually feeling better and loosing weight and keeping it off.  This was huge for me because I LOVE FOOD. Seriously, I love it, which is 80% of the battle; luckily I learned out to use and eat it to help me get healthy. 

Think of it this way.

•  Food is fuel. Eat often--every 2-3 hours--and you're keeping a full tank, and your body is constantly  working to digest it into energy to keep you moving. Bingo! Weight loss, more efficient digestion, and a more satisfied you. 

• Eat more--instead of 3 big meals have 3 medium meals and 3 small meals--(notice I am not saying snacks, but meals) to supply your body with the proper nutrients and energy for those workouts you have planed. Our bodies need energy to burn energy so fuel up before and after those workouts, optimizing you body's use of food. 

Here's to 6 more weeks! 

Want to read more and see my progress? 
CLICK HERE and scroll down.  

LiveFit Phase 2 Week 5

 

I had a love hate relationship with this first week of phase 2. I LOOOVED the addition of cardio but the longer workouts were not fun.

Seriously,  I am already pressed for time running straight  from work to the gym and having only  about an hour to get it all done. So my rests are shortened, making me more tired.

And, I hate to admit it, but I skipped the last leg workout....Gah I know, but I was so busy this weekend that that 6th workout day was too much.

BUT I WILL KEEP ON! Have you seen my Phase 1 Results? After those, how can I not.


So here we go.

Weight Lifting Tip:

Do not be afraid of free weights in the weights section...yes that section...you know which one I am talking about. 
Machines are great and can really help with form but free weights give you more versatility and  whole body stabilization .   Also, more muscle groups are at work when using free weights giving you a better workout.
Free weights are great alternatives if you don't have a specific machine to work a specific muscle group but use with care and caution, always with proper form, knowledge, and technique. 

Need help figuring out how to start? Bodybuilding.com has a great workout database. If you select a workout it will show you the proper form and technique as well as alternative exercises if applicable. Check it out!


Food Tip:
It is not often we hear healthy and fat in the same sentence. But they excist: healthy fats. 

Some of theses include Almonds, Almond butter, Avocado, Brazil nuts, Peanuts, Peanut butter, Walnuts Coconut oil, Sunflower oil, Olive oil, Fish oil, and Flax seed to name a few. 

Our bodies need fat to burn fat so don't  be afraid to eat your healthy fats! 

Want to read more about my progress and the program? 

CLICK HERE and scroll down

 

LiveFit Phase 1 ULTIMATE Results

 

Wow. Wow. Wow. 

4 weeks CAN make a difference. 

First things first: 

PICTURES!!!!

Jamie, along with many health-nuts out there, are right,

 ABS ARE MADE IN THE KITCHEN. 

Seriously, we hardly did any abs workouts, but look at that definition!

And of course arms! We do a LOT of those so I'm glad to see some change!

YEAH PROTEIN! 

Now, actual measurements

Chest increased : 34 to 35in

Arms increase:  11.3 to 12in

Hips decrease: 37 to 36.5in

Waist decrease: 34 to 33.5 in

Thighs increase: 21.5 to 22in

Calves decrease: 15 to 14.7in

Forearm increase: 8 to 8.5 in

Shoulders increase 42 to 42.5in

I feel incredible. I am so excited to see what happens in phase 2!!! 

Want read more about the program and get some weight lifting and food tips?

 CLICK HERE and scroll down.