Monday Macros: Cutting Diet 2019

I started my cutting diet last week and I've lost 3 lbs. If you've read this blog for a minute, you probably know that I have struggled with my weight since I was a child. I subjected myself to many years of calorie restriction and over-exercising. In 2017, I committed to increasing my caloric intake and to gaining lean mass. It didn't work as well as I would have liked (injury, poor guidance, a lot more fat gain than intended), but I learned A LOT. I spent 2018 trying to find maintenance calories, lean out a little, and get stronger, which was much more successful. I finally feel ready to implement a cut. If you've been eating in a deficit for a long time and struggling to adhere to that deficit (lots of cheat/treat meals or days, whole months where you just say fuck it, periods of binging/heavy restriction), get yourself a nutrition coach and work on finding your maintenance calories. You will be happier in the long run.

My plan and tools for the cut:

• I lowered my macros to 135 P, 175 C, 55 F for a total of 1735 calories. I had been aiming for 2040 calories, so this is a manageable deficit.
• I try to hit my macro targets every day but the bottom line is total calories. I used to try to hit my protein goal no matter what, but that meant I was usually going over my total calories on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I can usually get 80 grams of protein without really trying so I'm not too concerned about my overall protein intake. This is probably my biggest change from how I normally track macros.
• I recently started intermittent fasting. I use the Zero app and I've been aiming for 14 hour fasts. I have managed a couple of 16 hours so far. I am waking up more easily and feel more focused in the mornings. I was waking up ravenous in December and January and NEEDED breakfast. Now I'm making it to lunch time pretty easily.
• I'm aiming for 800 grams of vegetables and fruit every day. This combined with intermittent fasting has been leaving me feeling FULL. I force fed myself dinner for 90 minutes tonight because there we so many vegetables. I never thought I could feel so satisfied on only 175 grams of carbs. Volume eating for the win. #800gchallenge
• I'm using Affinity Athletics Coach Delta to track my progress. I adjusted my macros because I know that I feel best when I'm eating 135 grams of protein. I know that this is not what Coach Delta recommends and I take full responsibility for the changes I made. My friends are the guys behind Affinity Athletics but I'm not paid/sponsored to promote their products. I bought this and I like it.
• I plan to eat in a deficit until my Strongman competition on March 30. We are going to the BVIs the week before so I probably won't be tracking. The resort sent us an email with instructions on how to order groceries for our villa because the only on-island grocery store was destroyed during the hurricane. I am going to try to order what I normally eat during the day and then enjoy dinner at restaurants. Alcohol is going to make or break that week. The CrossFit Open has started and I am adding an extra 80 grams of carbs to Fridays to fuel our Saturday morning Open workouts.
• I start training for my half marathon the week after the Strongman competition. I will readjust my goals based on my progress.

Here are some screenshots of my Coach Delta. I input my information into the blue cells and it populates the rest of the information. I added the column that says Weekly Avg. Calories so I can indicate if I was compliant or not. You can see that I lost 3 lbs even though I ate an average of 1911 calories last week.

5 Year CrossFit Anniversary Post 2

In honor of my 5 year CrossFit anniversary, this week I am sharing five things that have changed since I started. The second is how I eat.

When I started CrossFit in 2013, my diet left a lot to be desired. I ordered Chinese from Hunan Delight thirty-eight times that past year. THIRTY-EIGHT TIMES! (There was an intervention in 2012.) ConEdison contacted me every 6 months to inform me that the gas might not be working in my apartment because the stove had not been turned on during that period. There was a lot of skipping meals followed by epic binges.

One morning I woke up one Saturday hungover and didn't eat per usual, and I pinned myself under the lady bar. I realized the reason I always felt like garbage was because the majority of the calories I consumed came from alcohol and dumplings. I slowly started cleaning up my diet.

I followed a pretty common CrossFit diet trajectory. I decided to embrace the Paleo diet after dabbling in it in the past. I tried another Whole30. I remember coming home at around 11 PM after going to the 9:15 PM CrossFit class and being so damn tired that I would throw a bag of veggies into the microwave and just cover them in coconut oil. I'm not sure I ate protein besides bacon. Someone pointed out to me that cocaine is Paleo but oatmeal is not, and I started to question if it was really that bad to eat Greek yogurt. I switched to Primal and ate a lot of Kerrygold butter.

My diet got better when I reconnected with an old boyfriend who tracked everything he ate in MyFitnessPal like he would be executed if he didn't. I still followed a mostly Primal diet on weekdays but then we would binge eat all weekend. Nothing like two former fat kids in love and let loose in a Publix. We would strategize the cocktail hour at weddings to make sure we maximized our hors d'oeuvres intake. He would beeline for the bar and get drinks while I filled up two plates and found a table. Then we would alternate returning for our favorites while the other person held down the fort.

I tried to follow macros but was still very wary of carbs. I tried using a Paleo meal service but got discouraged when I realized the macro calculations were significantly off. I started prepping my own meals, which sounds like crazy talk to anyone who knew me while I lived in New York. I ended up hiring a macro coach and had some success with her. I'm not very compliant on weekends or when I travel, and it was only after I acknowledged and embraced that fact that I started to see real progress.

I learned that I could eat anything as long as it fit my macros. I went from being scared of carbs to putting Gatorade in my protein shake and eating Jolly Ranchers during workouts.

I tried reversing and a bulk, which left me a lot heavier than I would have liked but it taught me a lot about how I eat, what my triggers are, and what I can do to set myself up for success. After being able to make almost anything fit my macros, I realized I like eating whole foods, and I enjoy chicken and broccoli. I track from 7 PM to 6:59 PM so my dinner informs the remaining 24 hours. This switch has been the most helpful.

Right now I am using macros from Affinity Athletics Coach Delta and trying to be reasonable on weekends. To be honest, that usually means eating small amounts to offset the amount I drink in the pool. I prep almost all of my own foods when I'm home, but do eat out frequently because of my work travel. I will always make room for tacos. I still enjoy margaritas.

CrossFit has made me see that what I eat (or don't eat) has a direct impact on my performance in the gym. You really can't outtrain a shitty diet, abs really are made in the kitchen, and it's really hard to get bulky because I've tried.

This is just proof that I do sometimes use my oven:

Semi-Covert Food Scale Use

I regularly see people asking how to track food at restaurants if the nutrition information isn’t posted. They go all meltdown, forgetting that the nutrition information at chain restaurants isn’t 100% accurate anyway. You do not have to eat at Applebee’s unless you want to if you’re tracking macros. I eat out frequently because I travel so much for work. Sometimes I eyeball portions. Sometimes I will weigh one item and then multiply it. So for example, if I weigh a piece of pineapple at the breakfast buffet and it weighs 11 grams, I will take 6 pieces and log 66 grams. And sometimes I’m eating alone in a nearly empty restaurant and I put my food scale on the table because I give zero fucks.

It’s really about making the right decisions for your goals. If you eat out once a week, eyeball the portions. If you are dining with people who might be weirded out by your food scale, like clients, eyeball the portions. If it’s your birthday, you get infinity macros. But if it’s just you or you are with other macro-counters, break out the scale. I’ve seen people get really aggressive online about how carrying a food scale around with you is eating disorder behavior and you should only weigh food at home. Well Martha, I’m envious of your 9 – 5 PM job with your designated lunch hour, which you take in the break room equipped with a refrigerator and microwave. I see that you went away exactly 2 days in the past 52 weeks and that was to your sister’s house for Thanksgiving. Tell me more about how to live my life. Martha is a bitch and she can’t tell you how to reach your goals. If you become overly reliant on your travel food scale, give yourself a break. But if you would like to learn how I use mine in restaurants without looking like a total nutjob, I took photos last night.

What You Need:
1.       Menu
2.       Food scale
3.       Paper
4.       Writing utensil
5.       Food log like MyFitnessPal

Step 1: Review the menu for what you want to eat. I recently started tracking 7 PM to 7 AM, which has made choosing what to eat so much easier for dinner. Basically I start fresh at 7 PM allowing me the greatest amount of flexibility. If dining out, I either choose something similar to what I would make for myself, or whatever the restaurant or city is known for.

Last night I chose the honey baked salmon with vegetables and a dessert from the hotel restaurant menu. I make salmon for myself but I don't know how to honey bake it. I actually didn't realize that my selection came from a daily specials menu that included dessert. Normally I wouldn't order dessert unless I really wanted it but I like apple cobbler and I paid for it, so I ate it.

Compliant

I used to work with a nutrition coach. I think working one-on-one with a coach is helpful, especially when you are new to flexible dieting and need someone to prescribe you some macros. My biggest frustration with coaching was that I didn't feel accountable. I either hit my macros each day or I didn't. The most important part of any diet is consistency and so most of the time I didn't have much to say during my check-ins. By the end I was getting frustrated because it felt like I was becoming a guinea pig for things she learned about, such as carb-cycling. I got this email about intermittent fasting and carb-cycling the first week of the 2016 CrossFit Open. The last thing I wanted to do before 5 weeks of competition was fuck around with my carbs. Ultimately, I decided to part ways with my nutrition coach because she started posting about "upleveling her business," which I think means she automated most of her content. My best advice to internet entrepreneurs is to avoid sending emails to your current clients about how you changed your program so that it can be mass-produced, ultimately undermining the very product your clients originally purchased.

Anyway, I kicked around the idea of getting a new coach. I tried to map out my own reverse diet and freaked out because I felt I was getting fat. I was researching coaches because of this freak out when I happened to listen to a podcast with Layne Norton, PhD, aka Biolayne. He talked about his company Avatar Nutrition and the cost of $10 a month seemed more than reasonable. About a month later, I signed up.

For the first time since I started tracking food (back in 2009), I feel like I have a system of being accountable because I weigh in each week AND I have to check a box saying if I was compliant or non-compliant with my macros during that week. I wasn't compliant for the first three weeks of using AN, and then I started feeling pretty dumb about that. I'm really good at weighing and tracking food. I'm really good at eyeballing portions. Why did I keep saying fuck it and ruining my progress? Well, I had gotten myself into a habit of just moving on to the next day. And if you have more fuck it days than compliant days, you're not moving towards your goals.

144.8 lbs on August 2, 2017

Weight Loss Wednesday 6.14.17

Today I woke up and weighed 143.2 lbs. My weight stayed between 146 and 147 lbs for the month of May. I've been experiencing some serious mental fatigue and my heart wasn't into tracking macros. Sometimes stressing over hitting my numbers is just enough to tip me over the stress ledge into full-on fuck it mode. I've been loosely tracking for the past month to try to stay a little accountable and to also see what I eat when I actually eat what I want when I want. I was telling my boyfriend recently that I don't know what it feels like to be hungry and then eat to meet that hunger. I'm not sure I will ever feel comfortable with 100% intuitive eating, but I've been dipping my toe in the water to see what it's like. I've learned that I usually eat lower on the protein side and higher on the fats, and I like to eat about 2,000 calories a day.

I used to feel uncomfortable about posting progress photos on my blog. I felt like I had to put on the same shorts and sports bra, which is stupidly annoying because I don't usually workout on Wednesday mornings and I had to make sure I did laundry by Tuesday. I take my "real" progress photos in my underwear because I am 1. lazy and 2. likely to get trapped in a sports bra. It's too much effort to do that twice in one day. Plus, all of my shorts make it look like I have muffin top in selfies. I realized that if I'm willing to wear a thong bathing suit to the pool (thanks Savage Swim!), why should I care about what I wear in my progress photos?

I've got some new macros - 137 P 194 C 63 F - that I started using yesterday. After a lot of fretting and research, I decided to sign up for Avatar Nutrition. I just didn't feel confident choosing my own macros and I was constantly second-guessing myself. I respect the creator - Layne Norton, I like the price point, and I'm enjoying the Facebook accountability group. 

Weight Loss Wednesday 4.26.17

So this week's Weight Loss Wednesday post started as a Monday Macros post. I started it Monday morning, but decided that yesterday's workouts were relevant to how I've been feeling about my diet. This week I lowered my macros to 120 g protein, 175 g carbs, 65 g fat. The only number that changed is the amount of carbs, but it's still more carbs than the last time I was eating 1,765 calories a day.

Monday's WOD went great. We did Nancy, which is 5 rounds for time of a 400 m run and 15 overhead squats. The Rx for women is 65#, but I scale to 55#. The desired stimulus is to go fast and hard, so the OHS should be unbroken. I think yesterday was the first time I've done all 5 rounds at 55# unbroken. I finished in 14:31, which is 2 minutes and 46 seconds faster than the last time I did the workout on April 6, 2016. This is why you log you workouts folks. Data is awesome.

I was particularly proud of my color-coordinated outfit for Nancy on Monday. Couldn't care less about what I wear for work, but my workout clothes are on point.

I was so hungry Monday night before bed that I had trouble falling asleep. I wondered how much of that was mental, just knowing that I had eaten less, but I definitely felt less strong at the 6:30 AM Crossfit yesterday. I hit my 6x2 split jerks at 65#, 75#, 80#, 85#, 90#, 95#. That 95# did not feel as light as it has recently. The metcon had squat snatches at 145#. I probably would have used 125# at an evening class, but scaled to 105#.

My Perfect Macro Day

This post is about my perfect macro day and why I ruined it. So last night I was playing macro Tetris before bed like I usually do and I was able to get ALL of my macros exactly to the gram. It was effing on point. ESPECIALLY because I had to plan around a pancake dinner at church for Holy Thursday. Not knowing what they would have, I decided 3 pancakes, 4 tablespoons of syrup, and a tablespoon of butter would work. That's a heck of a lot more syrup than I'm used to, but it fit my macros.

Monday Macros 4.10.17

Guys, I have been busy reading about metabolic adaption and reverse dieting. I also received my Savage Swim suit and I don't want to be a fluffy bunny all pool season. I devised an 8 month (yes, you read that correctly) plan to increase my caloric intake to total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) rate. Something about how Rome wasn't built in a day and abs are built in the kitchen. I am tracking my weight and body fat percentage on Mondays and Fridays. I will also track my mood, hunger, and sleep each week. This will help me determine when to increase or decrease my calories.

I set my protein to 120 grams a day. That's about 0.8 grams per pound of body weight. My daily fats are 65 grams. This week my goals is 200 grams of carbs a day. That's 1,865 calories a day. That's a little less than I have been eating lately. I'm hoping that I will feel super satiated with 200 grams of carbs.

In other news, my beloved Nissan Rogue Miranda was hit by an RV. She's not doing so hot and I already miss her. Randy the RV driver, who is actually really nice, has Progressive and they rented me a Jeep until Miss Miranda gets fixed. I ran the 3 miles to Enterprise to pick up the Jeep because I am in a Fitbit Work Week Challenge that is filled with overachievers.

I'm Losing My Gains!

So I know that I regularly claim that I'm losing my gains, usually when I'm hangry or unable to do anymore pull-ups. Except it turns out that I actually am losing my gains.

On Saturday, Body Fat Test Atlanta came to CrossFit Identity with the dunk tank. This was my fourth test. The great news - I'm at 18.6% body fat. The bad news - I lost 0.55 lbs of muscle. This is on top of the pound of muscle I lost between 2014 and 2015. I know about half of you are rolling your eyes over 1.55 lbs, and the other half of you are about to send me condolence letters. Do you know how freaking hard it is to gain a pound of muscle? Really. Freaking. Hard.

Weight Loss Wednesday 1.25.17

Well, it's official. I'm gaining weight on this so-called cut because I keep binge eating. I decided this morning, as I felt fluffy and defeated, that I am going going back to my self-determined macros ASAP. I found that 135 P 165 C and 65 F worked really well for my body. I saw upper ab definition, I was hitting PRs, and I felt satiated. Now I am all hangry, obsessed with tacos, and dreaming about Kerrygold butter. I miss my Gatorade/creatine/whey workout shake y'all!

I'm extremely competitive and I don't like to fail. I didn't want to fail at this Fat Loss Accelerator program but what the heck am I accomplishing by pretending to follow numbers that I don't want to use? I have to learn to admit that sometimes something isn't working and that's okay. I dated someone for a year because I didn't want to fail at another relationship. A whole year! I've been through enough. Give me my damn fats back.

The Fat Loss Accelerator program has an awesome Facebook group, which I'm really loving. I think I might be a little more active in it now that I'm not ashamed of bombing my numbers. I've only had a protein shake so far this morning and I'm already feeling a hell of a lot less stressed since I updated my goals in My Fitness Pal.

1/25/17 at 143.6

Weight Loss Wednesday 1.18.17

The Fat Loss Accelerator program has been a bit more challenging than I expected. Princess doesn't handle low fat very well. Katiesfitscript, one of my favorite bloggers, has written about how some of her clients do better when she increases their macros because it gets them to stop binging on the weekends. Dude, I made it until Thursday night before I was like fuck this noise, and went to Hacienda for fajitas and margaritas. That guy I've been seeing came home the next morning and I used that as an excuse to keep drinking and eating whatever I wanted... which was apparently lots of dumplings and dan dan noodles. I committed to (and paid for) this program, so I'm getting my ass back on the wagon, but I don't think these are sustainable numbers for me. I mean it's a four week program for a reason, right?

1/18/17 at 143.2

Despite my love for tequila, pinot grigio, and meat wrapped in dough, I otherwise ate pretty well (did I mention that this guy cooks a lot better than I do?) and I got a bunch of workouts in. I went to two different CrossFits on Saturday, made it to Pure Barre on Sunday, and went to CrossFit on Monday and Tuesday.

Weight Loss Wednesday 1.11.17

It's been a while since I posted for Weight Loss Wednesday. I took the new photos below last Saturday as my before photos for the Fat Loss Accelerator program I am participating in this month. The older photos (shorter hair) are from May 25, 2016.

1/7/17 at 141.4 lbs

VS.

5/25/16 at 140.2 lbs

Progress: Seeing the Big Picture

Last week I drove to Murfreesboro, Tennessee for a conference. I got to the hotel, obviously a Hilton, and was delighted to find the world's most flattering mirror in my room. I took that as a sign to take A LOT of selfies. (Note that "a lot" still has a space in between the a and the l, even when it's capitalized. It is my biggest Instagram pet peeve and apparently every fitness-related account can't be bothered to learn that ALOT is not a fucking word.)

Anyway, I went for a quick run around the mall parking lot on Thursday morning before the sessions started. Basically, I just wanted to get Starbucks so I took the longest possible route to get to the location that was directly next to the hotel. It was a little cold so I wore a long-sleeved shirt.

Since the mirror was just chilling out there on the closet door every time I walked near the bathroom, I felt compelled to document what I looked like post-run.

Mindful Macros

Yesterday was fucking awesome. I cannot emphasize enough how much a positive mindset impacts everything you do. You might not be into Jesus or CrossFit, (but if you are, check out Faith Rx'd), but putting all of your effort into something and living your life for something important feels so much better than going through the motions while having an existential crisis.

Mindful eating versus macro tracking. So I am back to tracking macros now that I am home from New York. I was feeling mad puffy and bloated. But I am focusing on my hunger cues, what actually sounds good to eat, and how I feel in my performance. I read something on Krissy Mae Cgney's blog the other day that smacked me right upside the head.

"I started out as a strict macro-counter. I got a high from hitting my numbers dead on every single day and I weighed and measured everything that entered my mouth. I was in this 100%. Now let me be extremely candid . . . this is a sign of an eating disorder. I was obsessing over food and my definition of nutritional success at this time was predicated on hitting my daily macronutrient allowance dead-on. I found myself popping fish oil pills to hit my fat macros..."

I have definitely popped fish oil pills to hit my fat macros. I've also eaten a tablespoon and a half of butter off a knife.

Just trying to keep my shit organized.

Weight Loss Wednesday 5.25.16

I got on the scale to see what a weekend of Regional spectating did to me and I was pleasantly surprised to see 140.2 on the screen. I went for a 2 mile jog on Friday morning and took the rest of the weekend off. I drank a lot at Shaky Beats, I danced a ton, and I ate a massive amount of biscuits. One weekend isn't going to derail all of your hard work. Sometimes a physical and mental break can even help your progress.

I worked with my nutrition coach, Jenna Carelli, from November 1 through April 30. She's definitely one of the best investments I've ever made in myself. Her support helped me to trust the process and she helped hold me accountable. I struggle with moderation (big surprise!) and tend to go too far too fast. For example, if I see progress with 10 few grams of carbs per day, I start trying to knock off another 50 grams. This is not okay. Carbs are our friend. Fat is our friend. Food is our friend. I needed someone to tell me my numbers and make adjustments for me so that I could establish consistency. 

Body Fat Retest

I've been trying to get my body fat retested since February. Between conference food catering, travel, and Sunday Fundays, something has always come up that's made me postpone the test. I finally got my opportunity on Saturday.

The good news. I have retained all of my lean body mass. I have lost only fat.

The bad news. I didn't lose as much body fat as I had hoped, or did I?

Hydrostatic body fat testing is the gold standard of testing. You submerge yourself in a tank of water, blow out all of the air in your lungs, and the technician measures the results. Bali takes three readings to find the accurate amount of lean body mass. I had always assumed that the test had to be an accurate reading of body fat, because come on, science! But then I realized that results have room for error.

Weight Loss Wednesday 4.6.16

This morning I woke up and I was sore all over. Yesterday's WOD was a timed 30 calorie row, rest, and then 1000 m run, 30-20-10 push press (95/65) and toes to bar, finished with another 1000 m run. It was brutal and it was low carb day. So when I woke up this morning, I remembered it was the day after low carb day and was psyched to see my progress. I realized I looked pretty damn lean and hopped on the scale - 142.2 lbs! Then I quickly texted the boyfriend to see if he could take some progress photos of me before he left for work.

Today is high carb day and I am so thankful because I woke up so hungry. I felt satiated when I went to bed last night but I woke up with a mission to eat. Everyone's numbers are different but Jenna has me on this carb cycling plan and high carb day is 300 GRAMS OF CARBOHYDRATES! Today will be filled with such joy in the form of harvest snaps, milk, and rice.

Protein Hacks

I'm pretty good about hitting my protein numbers if I plan my meals around my protein sources, but I'm terrible at getting close to 135g of protein if I eat by intuition. I just want to eat carbs. I've been looking for quick hacks to get protein without relying on extra protein shakes and found two simple ways to help you reach your protein goals.

Add egg whites your eggs. Well duh. I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. I like to eat two scrambled eggs in the morning. I don't use egg beaters because I like the taste of actual eggs, but today I added liquid egg whites. I was able to increase the volume of food and add 10 grams of protein without additional carbs or fats. Trader Joe's cage-free liquid egg whites's macros are 5 P, 0 C, 0 Fat for 46 grams/3 tablespoons.

Cook up a pound of spicy ground turkey. I buy the Trader Joe's regular, whatever ground turkey meat. I've tried the lean kind and the all-white meat kind and they are too dry for my taste. I season the meat with Flavor God Everything Spicy and Chipotle. Since it's already cooked, it's super convenient to use throughout the day. Sometimes I add it to breakfast, other times I have it for lunch or a snack. One ounce of cooked ground turkey is 8 P, 0 C, 3 F. Two ounces is great with eggs. I eat closer to 7 ounces if I'm eating it for lunch.

March 2016 Goals

This month was humbling. I wanted to be someone who could accomplish a ton of things and be a ladyboss, but it became apparent that I had too many things on my plate. The quality of my work at my real job suffered. I was constantly tired. I even got so stressed out, I yelled at my dogs. I don't want to be a person who yells at her dogs. Even when one of them refuses to potty outside and the other refuses to stay outside long enough for the first one to consider going potty. I accidentally tazed myself this morning. I was so tired and it was 4 AM and instead of pressing the button that locks Frank's retracting leash, I pressed the button on my taser and I tazed the shit out of my hand. I was so tired that it took me a few moments to even realize where the pain was coming from. It was in that exact moment that I knew I had made the right decision. My first priority is sleeping enough to succeed at my job and to be a good dog momma.

I withdrew from my GMAT class because it became painfully obvious that I am significantly behind in the math content. Once I have become proficient enough in the work that pays my salary, I am going to get myself a math tutor. Veritas Prep told me I can re-enroll without penalty whenever I'm ready. I have also put in my notice at Pure Barre and will only work a few shifts this April. The 4 AM wake up on Wednesday and Thursday was killing me, especially since I produce my best work between 6 and 10 AM. By the time I got home, I couldn't concentrate and frequently needed a nap. I was also late for my shrink every Thursday. I am disappointed that I didn't get to enjoy a free membership. It seemed like I was asked to cover a shift every time I signed up for class - like legit, Hey we see you're signed up to take the 4:45 PM. Can you show up at 4 and leave at 8? I'm a hard worker and I understand that helping to pick up weights is a small sacrifice to make for free class, but I didn't want to get pulled in to cover the desk every time I went near the studio. I have a relatively flexible work schedule that allows me to exercise during a typical work day but that's only because I make up that hour before 9 AM or after 6 PM. It doesn't mean that I'm free to work 4 hours in the middle of the day or that I can drop everything to handle an apparel shipment at 11 AM. If it sounds like I'm pissed, it's because I am. I'm a big fan of the studio and the owners and everyone who works there, but working there isn't the right thing for me anymore. I'm going to buy myself a class pack and go back to being a client.

Life and Wellness goals: FAILED. I didn't sleep enough and I certainly didn't live in the moment because I was miserable and panicking on a regular basis. I got so stressed out that I tried to find things to give up that weren't GMAT or Pure Barre so I told Jenna I needed a break from nutrition coaching. Even thinking about my macros changing made me freak out. The good news is that I'm back on track and have a carb cycling and workout plan set for the month of April.

I'm looking pretty lean but I'm still working on losing more body fat.

Tex Mex Breakfast

When I was in Houston I had this most delicious breakfast from My Fit Foods, and I knew that I could recreate it at home. I prep white rice in my rice cooker and cook up a pound of ground turkey using Flavor God Spicy Everything seasoning. When I'm ready to eat this delicious meal, I heat up the rice and turkey in the microwave while I scramble an egg (or two). I layer the eggs on top of the turkey, sprinkle some Mexican blend cheese, and top it with 2 tablespoons of salsa. IT IS SO EFFING DELICIOUS. And it's filling, without being excessive.

Breakfast Portion

1/2 cup white rice

3 oz cooked ground turkey

1 extra large egg

1/2 oz Mexican blend cheese

2 tablespoons salsa

CAL: 418, P: 35g C: 25g F: 18g

Dinner Portion

1/2 cup white rice

5 oz cooked ground turkey

2 extra large eggs

1/2 oz Mexican blend cheese

2 tablespoons salsa

CAL: 613, P: 58g C: 25g F: 29g

Some tricks of the trade: Measure in grams whenever possible, otherwise use ounces. A half cup of white rice is approximately 100 g. This is a bajillion times easier to track using a food scale instead of a measuring cup. I track cooked ground turkey because it's annoying to cook ground meat in bulk and track raw measurements. An ounce of shredded cheese is 28 g so I weigh out 14 g for this dish. Two tablespoons of salsa is 30 g. I avoid using measuring cups and measuring spoons whenever possible.