SQUEEMS & WAIST SLIMMERS/SWEAT BANDS

SQUEEMS & WAIST SLIMMERS/SWEAT BANDS

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Alright another topic that I am chronically asked about lately is squeems and waist slimmers/sweat bands. Do they work? How long do I wear them? What is the purpose? Etc.. So since I was on the plane with nothing else to do and no internet connection I addressed these questions.

First off, I want to make it clear that until this year I never wore a squeem in my life. I competed and did very well without ever wearing one, so the first thing you should know is that they are not absolutely necessary, however genetically I was gifted with a fairly small waist. Please note they’re not a magic trick and wont instantly shrink your waist size or make your waist smaller overnight. Many top athletes wear them though because they swear they reduce the waist size and we all know bikini is all about that small waist. Its funny because so many of these girls keep it a secret, like its some hidden truth to achieving results, so when I posted a photo of mine on social media, go figure I had about 150 questions, comments, and concerns. Go ahead and look at Paige Hathaways profile,  if you look closely at her selfie progress photos you will see she has lines running up and down her mid section… that would be from her squeem that she probably just took off lol. I got bashed by a few girls for wearing mine, as if it was shameful or cheating or something. Now if I was sleeping in that thing or wearing it excesively over a long duration of time I could see how some of the health concerns may play a part but I honestly wear it about 2-3x a week and only for maybe a half a day – if that. I do wear it when I lift legs and occasionally when doing cardio. I dont wear it for HIIT as I believe it can be too restricting for full oxgen capacity during high intensity excercise.

I started wearing a squeem for a few reasons. My first year competing I had no background in heavy lifting and when I dieted down for the show my waist came in at 23″. That was pretty dang small in my opinion and I was happy with it. However, over the years as I have started lifting heavier and heavier and also implemented tons of different styles of lifting, including kettlebells, crossfit, german volume training, etc… I have noticed a slight increase in my waist size. Some of you may wonder why that would be and let me just ask you this; Have you ever noticed the elite level crossfit women typically have very muscular yet very square/blocky physiques – especially through the mid section? Go ahead and watch some of the womens world crossfit games on TV, youll see the majority of them have very square waists. That is due to building the oblique walls outward through heavy lifting. Just like any muscle group, you can add muscle mass to the sides of the abdominal wall and that will physically make your waist larger. Its not necessrily a bad thing if you are wanting to improve strength and you dont care as much about aesthetics, but in the sport of bodybuilding we train for aesthetics AND performance, with aesthetics at the top of the list. I noticed this same thing happen a bit with my own body as I implemented a ton of heavy leg workouts last year trying to get my glutes and hamstrings to grow and I also have a past with doing kettlebell and crossfit. So I had a few personal reasons for looking into a squeem.

Please make your own choice on weather or not to buy/wear a squeem. I am not a doctor nor do I promote the use of one. I purely use this for my own aesthetic purposes. Do I feel it has made a difference? Honestly I do feel my waist is smaller this year but I havent measured it to verify that (update- I did measure after I wrote this and my waist did get back down to 23″ this year).  I do have to mention that I dont know if this decrease is contributed to the squeem or from cutting my lower body heavy lifts down dramatically.

Because I know I will be asked, I honestly dont even remember where I ordered mine, some website online. I have heard Ann Cherry was a good brand though.

As far as waist slimmer/sweat bands go… I started using these in 2013. I picked mine up at Ross or TJMaxx or something and figured for $5 it wouldnt hurt to try it. I instantly noticed the increase in sweat that the waist slimmer caused around my mid section from internal thermogenisis in the area- which is where I hold some stubborn fat. I liked the way it heated my internal temperature up due to the neoprene material and I sweat so much more wearing one I figured it had to be doing something. I have continued to utilize these for the last two years. You can make your own decision on weather or not they work but I believe half the battle with results is your belief system. So if you feel its working, it just might.

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FASTED CARDIO & INTERMITTENT FASTING (IF)

Fasted Cardio & Intermittent Fasting (IF)

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Okay this is going to be a long one so bare with me. I get asked a lot about fasting and I have a lot to say on the subject. Apologizing in advance for spelling or grammatical errors as I tend to just type my thoughts out quickly/free write and dont proof read enough lol. Here are my current thoughts on the subject of fasting:

For starters, I want to make it clear that there is not one way for everyone and there are lots of methods that work for lots of people. So always find what works for you before trying to copy what anyone else is doing. Second thing is I want to put a disclaimer on this as I am a very knowledgable and experienced athlete, I feel I know my body well enough to know what is healthy in terms of extreme dieting and what is not and I dont want anyone putting themself in an unhealthy position as fasting can be very risky while cutting if not careful.

Okay so now that I got that out of the way.. I have been wanting to write on this topic for a while. However, I am still playing with the concept as I believe you can read information on every opinion out there- wether its backed by science or not- it seems anything and everything can be justified on the internet and sometimes I even find myself more confused on the subject after researching it. Anyone else ever feel this way? So in my opinion the best way of figuring things out is to test them on yourself and find what works for you.

I have to state that I have had many preps over the last four years which were all very different. I have had two different coaches and then coached myself with accountability check ins from my brother last year so I have experienced many different opinions and methods to prep. I have had preps where I never did fasted cardio, I have had preps where I did fasted cardio a few times a week, I have had preps where I utilized IF (intermittent fasting) one day a week, and last year I never fasted at all throughout my entire prep and had one of the most succesful years of my competiting career.

The first time I used IF it was extremely hard for me. The concept of not eating for a 16 hour window (basically from 10pm to 2pm the next day) was extremely hard for me. I would sleep in as late as I could on those days so I made sure to pick a weekend where that was possible. I would still drink coffee and water and take bcaas while I was fasting but my first meal wouldnt be until 2pm. Looking back- I think this was so hard on me for a few reasons. It was my third year of competing and I had developed this idea in my head that I NEEDED to eat every three hours or I was dying lol. The second reason was I had someone else telling me I HAD to fast and I have never been good at taking orders from someone else lol.. probably why I am my own coach and my own boss now, ha. So that being said, my mindset around IF at that time was negative. I didnt like it and I didnt like fasting. However, I did notice that the next day I would feel full easier and also my weight would typically drop.

When it came to fasted cardio in the past, again I have seen great results with it and I have seen great results without it. My mindset on fasted cardio previously has been this- If you are someone who feels naesous or sick if you dont eat in the morning and fasting previous to training (cardio) will affect your performance, then the benefit will not be there anyways and you should train in the state that you can expend the most effort. However, if doing cardio in the fasted state is something that doesnt bother you- meaning you feel no different than if you would have eaten and can still performe with some intensity than yes you can see benefit in fasted cardio. I have almost always been the person who feels sick if I dont eat first thing while in prep, which is why last year I never performed fasted cardio.

Now with all that being said, knowing that the body and brain changes with each prep and that many factors should be taken into account- I began to implement some fasting into my routine with my last prep and I continue to utilize it now. Let me address the idea of muscle loss really quickly here as well. Some people are so scared of burning muscle that they steer clear of fasted cardio all together. Why this doesnt bother me has to do with a few reasons. First, I always drink my BCAAs (Branch chain amino acids) along with some glutamine during fasted cardio. Second, I have a LOT of muscle for a bikini competitor and honestly wouldnt mind losing some lower body muscle (I know, I know- my gains). I develop lower body mass fairly easily and the problem with that is my legs become over developed and on my off season when I put on any fat mass, I feel bigger in that area which is not my cup of tea. Stretchy pants for life is fun and all but I dont need bodybuilder thunder thighs lol. The other reason I am okay doing fasted cardio is my carb intake is much higher than it was in my preps last year and I feel I have plenty of glycogen in my system to support my excercise even while fasting.

The other thing I have started to do is play with the concept of IF more. Now you may wonder why when I talked about my horrible experience with it previously. The reason why is this- I am starting to think long term about my brain and the way I view food. The concept of eating all the time has become so instilled in my head that post show or post diet I struggle hard because I feel the need to eat ALL the time and have had leptin issues which have made it very hard to feel full (I wrote about this in depth in my article published on Official Cut and Jacked if anyone is curious to read it the link is here- http://www.cutandjacked.com/Competition-pre-vs-post-show-finding-balance ) I want to be in control of those feelings when I am done this time around and IF has given me a feeling of control over my body. I control when I eat – IF proves this to myself as I can set a window for fasting and a window for eating that allows me to still get proper nutrients in but allows more control over the concept of not having to eat ALL the time. Plus like I mentioned- when I do eat again I feel fuller quicker than I did- most likely due to my stomach physically shrinking. I also am much more experienced with IIFYM and how to utilize that for reverse dieting than I was in the past, so that is also part of my current method but something I wont get in to here.

Again, this is what is currently working for me, my diet, my mindset and the way things in my life are currently set up. I dont expect anyone to be just like me or to implement the same thing as I do as everyone is different and you have to find what works for you and your current lifestyle.

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REFEEDS

REFEEDS:

(Pre-refeed on left, post-refeed on right)

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I get asked constantly about my refeeds. So I will go ahead and explain a bit here. Some people have cheat meals, I have refeed days. The difference is the strategy that goes into refeeds versus cheat meals. On Refeed days EVERYTHING is tracked. The point of a Refeed is to bring your carb intake up to help bring leptin levels back to a stable position and allow your muscle tissue to stay full. I typically double my carb intake if not more on refeed days. Again, this is what I do based on my daily intake/deficit/muscle tissue needs. Is this what you should do? I have no idea, so unless I am your trainer and I know what type of intake and expenditure you are on daily, please decide on your own if refers are something you believe you should implement into your current nutrition schedule.

How much should you refeed yourself? This will depend on how long you have been dieting, how intense your diet is, and your current level of bodyfat. Those who are at a lower level of bodyfat will need to refeed more often than those who aren’t. Similarly, the more extreme the diet being followed, the more intense the refeed. The last refeed I had in this before and after photo, I ate about 300G of carbs.  As you can see here, there are noticeable differences in muscle fullness before and after this refeed.

Tip: If the scale freaks you out, DONT WEIGH YOURSELF. I have completely detached my emotions from my weight and therefore I actually find it entertaining to see what my weight is at after a day of eating banana bread, lots of yams, oatmeal, English muffins. graham crackers, arctic zero or frozen yogurt, etc. I was only up about alb after the reefed I implemented in between these two photos and I could care less because I look AND FELT better!

Think about your muscles as a tube, like the inside of a tire. When you aren’t eating adequate carb intake and lifting/working out you deplete these tubes with glycogen (what carbohydrates break down into) and therefor you begin to look flat (like a deflated tire). A lot of people, girls specifically, get so scared of eating carbs because they think they will look worse. But you know that jiggle on your ass? Don’t you think it would jiggle less with some air in those glute balloons? You catch my drift? Filling your muscle tissue up will leave you with full muscles, making you look tighter and “hard” versus soft and flat. Why do so many people think they look better the day after a show? Because typically they didn’t properly fill there muscle tissue up with carb intake until post show.

The amount you refeed with basically has to do with how low your leptin levels are. The lower the levels, the more calories above maintenance you will be needing to bring them back up. I know my body handles carbs well, but I do not respond to fats well, so on refeed days I make sure my fats stay low and I choose foods high in carbohydrates and low in fat, aka- fat free frozen yogurt.. yumm! I try to keep my protein intake fairy consistent. The only macronutrient I really manipulate is my carb intake.

All of this information can easily be found and studied by looking up and researching refeeds. I get asked over and over about this in particular, so please do your research and figure out what works for you or hire a coach!

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ECCENTRIC TRAINING

ECCENTRIC TRAINING

Last week I posted about Eccentric Arm Training & HIIT on rolling step mill. You can implement eccentric training with any muscle groups, I just happen to utilize it this week and last week with arm training. In case you missed it, I wanted to repost what I wrote in regards to eccentric training here:

“Today I felt absolutely GREAT- more energy and positivity going into my workout than I have felt in a long time! Today I focused A LOT on contraction of the muscle along with the eccentric motion today with my lift. Eccentric training is defined as active contraction of a muscle occurring simultaneously with lengthening of the muscle . For example, in a biceps curl the action of lowering the dumbbell back down from the lift is the eccentric phase of that exercise — as long as the dumbbell is lowered slowly rather than letting it drop (i.e the bicep muscle is in a state of contraction to control the rate of descent of the dumbbell). Eccentric training focuses on slowing down the elongation of the muscle process in order to challenge the muscles, which can lead to stronger muscles, faster muscle repair and increasing metabolic rate.

I finished my workout with a 20 minute HIIT session on the rolling stepmill. One minute at level 4, one minute at level 14 for 20 minutes. I was sweating buckets.”

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“Gains” Tank by @altaregousa

http://www.altarego-usa.com/ 

Get 15% off with code: Mishkadawn

 

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“BLUEBERRIES & CREAM” PROTEIN WAFFLE STACK

“Blueberries and Cream” Protein Waffle Stack

Ingredients:

2/3 cup liquid egg whites
1tbs coconut flour
1/2tsp baking powder
Cinnamon
1tbs-1/2c oats (whatever carbs you want to fit macros)
1tbs whey protein

Throw all ingredients in blender or magic bullet. Blend until well combined. Pour into hot non-stick or greased waffle iron.

Toppings:
1/3c frozen blueberries microwaved and then mixed with cinnamon and blueberry + maple walden farms syrup.
Layer between each waffle with 1/3c. fat free cottage cheese, 4 tbs. fat free whip cream, and blueberry/syrup mixture.

MACROS: 217 calories, 1G Fat, 18 Carbs, 31G Protein

(Macros based on using 1tbs for oat content in waffle batter)

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MY AUDIO INTERVIEW WITH “BREAKTHROUGH SUCCESS POINT”

Hey everyone!

I am honored to be one of the featured speakers for Breakthrough Success Point 2014! Join me at this FREE virtual speaker series: www.breakthroughsuccesspoint.com where myself and many other influential successful women are sharing our personal stories on how we broke through hard times and came out on top. Many people assume from the outside looking in successful leaders were either born into a fortunate upbringing or had some sort of advantage over others in order to get to where they are at. This powerful speaking series will empower all people- men and women- to fully optimize their happiness, wellness, and success. We’re bringing together an international group of highly influential women to share their life-changing, “breakthrough” moments and tips on how they’ve achieved success, confidence and extraordinary lives.

My audio interview went live today and I am so excited!

If you are curious to know about my background and how I got to where I am today please tune in by clicking the link below! And don’t forget to sign up before its too late to here all the motivational speakers!

http://leangoddessblog.com/amber-dawn-orton/

 

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CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER MUG CAKE – PROTEIN ‘DONUT’

Who doesn’t want to eat donuts for breakfast? Especially if they’re healthy! I made this in about 2 minutes and it was delicious!

Recipe: In a small bowl spray with coconut oil non-stick spray. Combine 1/2c liquid egg whites, 1 tbs coconut flour, 1/2tsp. baking powder, 1 tbs whey protein (I used molten chocolate flavor), 1/2 tbs. pb2 ground peanut flour, 1/2 tbs of Stevita chocolate cocoa powder. Mix until well combined and somewhat thick. Pour a small amount of  chocolate walden farms into the center and pop in microwave for 90 seconds. Once you take it out, turn bowl upside down on a plate. Sometimes the whole in the center doesn’t always come out so perfectly like this one.. so you will have more of a “cake” than a donut, but they all taste amazing.

Top with the remaining 1.5tbs peanut flour (pb2 or pblean) mixed with a small amount of water, more chocolate walden farms sauce if desired, and even add some fat free whip cream. Yumm!

Macros on this delicious creation are 160 calories, 3G Fat, 10G Carbs, 5G Fiber, and 22G Protein.

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BREAKING DOWN BINGE EATING: WHY WE DO IT & WHAT YOU CAN DO

Breaking Down Binge Eating: Why We Do It & What You Can Do

Lately I have been asked a lot about how I have found balance with my mentality involving food and the ability to eat in moderation, especially post competition or restriction. I have written about this topic before, because I believe it is something that should be discussed more. It is a very prevalent/ depressing part of the sport, that is often hidden or suppressed by many athletes. I have actually jokingly coined this term “PTCD- Post Traumatic Competing Disorder”. So, I figured, the best time to write about it, was when I was in the midst of dealing with it. So todays post is focused on binge eating and the mental aspects that go along with it, as I have gathered some archived writing I did on this subject last year post nationals when I was in the midst of dealing with this myself.

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At 6 weeks post Nationals last year, I was bouncing around with my nutrition and choices each day. Some days I was in the mentality that “I need to lose weight or lean out” again and therefor I resorted back to thinking I needed to be on a “prep diet”. The misconception there, which I have just recently been able to connect for myself, is that in order to lean out a bit, I didn’t need to go to the extreme of a prep diet. Extremes are what cause rebounds, and the ongoing cycle that causes bingeing which is being “all in” or “all out”. You see, for many athletes, once you achieve your “best” as far as weight, body-fat, etc. you will automatically connect extremes to getting back to that point (that is if you had the presence of these extremes in your prep plan or journey to your personal best, of course). One may think, “I need to be on fat burners again” or “I need to do extra cardio” or “I should cut my carbs today” because those are the things they relate to getting their “best” body back. However, these are also the extremes that lead to the ever so prevalent binge eating disorder that happens to so many in the industry.

I, myself, am very guilty of binge eating post long term restriction. But thankfully, I have found a solution that seems to be working for me. I wrote the following in a journal entry of mine after my last show in 2013:

I am now 8 weeks post being on a restricted diet, and finally feel “in balance” with my lifestyle and choices. It has taken 8 weeks for my leptin to restore itself- as I just now have the sense of being full again. But in order to get back to this point of balance, I had to change my mindset and reprogram the way I viewed food. I will explain here:

I have always been a big believer in variety in the diet. However, I have also been a very clean eater while in prep. I do not believe one should eat the same sources of foods day in and day out, but I do believe the micronutrients found in clean, wholesome foods are crucial in a prep diet. That being said, I allow all my clients including myself, to make substitutions between clean protein sources, fat sources, and carb sources as long as the macros are fairly close. Now that I am out of prep, I have been allowing myself a little more creativity in my diet. I love to cook, and seeing all the clean food posts on social media sights, such as instagram, has helped my creativity come out in the kitchen. But even with that aspect, I have found myself often overeating these clean foods, to a point where I feel guilt and ask myself why? As I have paid more attention to this “binge” type of behavior, I have found that I personally overeat for a few different reasons, the primary being:

1) It can take weeks post restriction for my “fullness” signal to tell me I am full again, which is directly related to my leptin levels. Explanation for this: “Leptin is a hormone that is tied closely to regulating energy intake and expenditure, including appetite, metabolism and hunger. It is the single most important hormone when it comes to understanding why we feel hungry or full. When present in high levels, it signals to our brain that we’re full and can stop eating. When low, we feel hungry and crave food. It does this by stimulating receptors in our hypothalamus, the part of our brains which regulates the hormone system in our bodies. When leptin binds to receptors in this part of our brains, it stimulates the release of appetite- suppressing chemicals. People with leptin disorders eat uncontrollably. So when you lose a lot of weight quick, via liposuction or serious calorie restriction, your leptin levels plummet. Subsequently, you get hungrier, your thyroid decreases output and your metabolic rate drops. Your body then increases catabolic hormone activity and appetite, making you tend to slip off your regime and gain all that weight right back. That’s why crash diets are often ineffective – your leptin won’t let you eat less, and even if you do, you’re lethargic and your metabolic rate slows way down.” (Source: http://nutritionwonderland.com/2009/06/understanding-our-bodies-leptin-the-fullness- hormone/)

Of course, just because it makes things difficult for dieting, leptin levels are far more sensitive to starvation than overeating. So when you cut calories and start to burn fat, the leptin levels in your body plummet, but when you eat too much they don’t skyrocket at the rate they decreased (which means it will take TIME for my body to feel full again post restriction) To lose weight and keep it off, you have to give your body time to adjust to the new, lowered leptin level, so it sets that as “normal” and you feel full when you’re supposed to.

2) I may have a craving for a food that I am trying to compensate for by eating more of a cleaner food choice (because its “better”), but it is not satisfying that craving the way I am looking for it to be satisfied. Explanation for this: I have created tight dietary boundaries for myself, and I classify foods as “good” or “bad” and instead of chosing to eat something “bad” to satisfy a craving, I think I am better off overeating more of something “good”. At the end of the day though, overeating is overeating- wheather its good or bad- it will lead to weight gain. And I have to remind myself that if calories in, good or bad, are larger than calories out, I will gain weight.

Helpul Tip: If your craving chocolate and you’re eating 3 brownie quest bars to satisfy your craving (because they’re “clean”), try allowing yourself the chocolate your craving- in moderation- and do not feel guilty about it. EVERYTHING IN MODERATION is key.

3) I am hypersensitive to food, food timing, and the way macronutrients affects me and I will be for some time. Interesting study that may help explain this: “In a mouse model of moderate caloric restriction in which a 10-15% weight loss similar to human dieting is produced, we examined physiological and behavioral stress measures. After 3 weeks of restriction, mice showed significant increases in immobile time in a tail suspension test and stress-induced corticosterone levels. Increased stress was associated with brain region-specific alterations of corticotropin-releasing factor expression and promoter methylation, changes that were not normalized with refeeding. Similar outcomes were produced by high-fat diet withdrawal, an additional component of human dieting. In examination of long- term behavioral consequences, previously restricted mice showed a significant increase in binge eating of a palatable high-fat food during stress exposure. Orexigenic hormones, melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) and orexin, were significantly elevated in response to the high-fat diet only in previously restricted mice. These results reveal reprogramming of key central pathways involved in regulating stress responsivity and orexigenic drives by moderate caloric restriction experience. In humans, such changes would be expected to reduce treatment success by promoting behaviors resulting in weight regain, and suggest that management of stress during dieting may be beneficial in long-term maintenance. And if you are like 99% of other competitors and you overeat peanut butter and other nut butters, this may help you understand your actions are NORMAL….”In examination of long-term behavioral consequences, previously restricted mice showed a significant increase in binge eating of a palatable high-fat food during stress exposure” (Source: PubMed- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21123586/)

My Answer: So after recognizing these factors, I have come to find that my binge type of behavior is drastically lessened through following more of an IIFYM dieting approach. If you are not familiar with IIFYM it stands for If-It-Fits-Your-Macros and it is a way to incorporate more of these taboo “bad” foods into your diet and stay within reasonable dietary guidelines in order to avoid weight gain and binge eating. Through implementing this approach, I have realized how strongly connected our mental perceptions can influence our physical actions. IIFYM works because it changes the way we VIEW food. Like I said before, most competitors automatically know what’s “off limits” and what’s considered “prep” or “clean” food. But these very classifications we create through this mindset also lead to the black and white mentality that once you touch one of these “bad” food sources you have failed. And many times this thought of failure leads to binging because the competitor mind then goes to the “I might as well eat it all now” mindset. The “I might as well eat it all now” perception is something that is created by the idea that this food source will very quickly be off limits again- out of the question for consumption, taboo, “bad”, or will be “taken away”. Once the mind goes to this place of feeling restricted, our actions typically lead to the opposite extreme again- which post restriction and due to the reasons listed above is almost always binge eating.

So what do you do if you are in this place post competition or just tend to be a binge eater? Here are my recommendations:

1) Start today with recognizing the way you view foods, and changing your perception. The mind is the most powerful influence on our everyday actions. It controls more than we sometimes recognize. If you can change the way you think- you can change the way you act.

2) Know that it will TAKE TIME to feel “normal” again. Your leptin levels, hormones, and body need adjusting time. Allow the process to happen.

3) Give IIFYM a try! For more information check these sights out: IIFYM.com

http://www.trimmedandtoned.com/beginners-guide-to-iifym

4) Remember, life is about balance. And moderation is key!

I  would like to add I have currently been working with Maria Adelus who has started a very exciting and necessary movement for community action focused on eating disorder awareness. Maria and I invite you to please join the group page on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/687431751326181/

You can also follow Maria on her personal journey in community action through her social media pages and YouTube Video Logs:

Instagram: @madelus

Twitter: @mariaadelus

Youtube: The Eating Disorder Epidemic

 

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TOMATO, JALAPENO, CHEESE, AND SPROUT OMELETTE

So I’ve been making my breakfast quesadillas a lot lately… I’m addicted! But today I had my ‘pbj oats’ as my carb source so I made my egg quesadilla as an omelette minus the tortilla and added some sprouts. It was amazing! 2/3 cup egg whites pan fried, flip and add 1/4c fat free shredded cheddar, 2 tbs Oikos brand Greek yogurt salsa jalapeno dip, 1/4 of an organic tomato thinly slicethen cover with a lid to let the cheese melt. Add a pinch of sprouts, fold and devour!
MACROS: 166 calories, 1G Fat, 4G Carbs, 29G Protein

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BREAKING ALL THE RULES

BREAKING ALL THE RULES

Lately I have been thinking about how many bullshit theories I have been told along the way in my fitness career. I had a coach who decided in 2011 I “didnt do well on grains” and implant the idea that oatmeal (one of my all time favorite healthy foods) and other healthy grains would not help me get lean. So I believed this theory and cut them from my diet, basically implementing a paleo approach- using sweet potato as my only starchy carb source. From there I was also told fake sugars would make me soft, so I avoided them at all costs. I was told that if I missed meals or didnt eat every three hours I would lose muscle mass and therefor it was absolutely imparative to eat all my meals at specific hours of the day. I was also told that I needed to eat within 30 minutes of a workout to fully benefit from the workout with muscle development. This coach made me fear peanut butter as a fat source as they would NEVER put it in my plan and said not even to keep it in the house (some of this may have been for my own good though as I did/do have a tendency of overeating it). I was told NEVER to eat a meal that contained fats and carbs together as my body would always only burn through the carb source leaving the fat source to be turned into fat. I was told to ALWAYS eat a protein source with a carb source in order to balance insulin spikes. I was told many things along my fitness journey by many people and over time I truthfully believed a lot of these “Bro-theories”

Now is there some truth to what I have written above? Yeah a bit. It is true that your body will burn through a carb source quicker than a fat source when pairing a meal high in both macronutrients. However, does this mean that you will absolutely store the fat as fat? No, not necessarily. And eating protein with a carb does help with the affect of carbohydrates on insulin, however does this mean you are doomed if you eat a carbohydrate solo? Absolutely not. All of these facts are based on a moment in time and dont take into account a persons individuality, lifestyle, metabolic efficiency, etc. All these theories do is mentally mess with an individuals head. And it definitely did so with me.

I work with a lot of girls in the competition world. Many of them who work with other coaches but contact me for advice, posing, etc. Just last week I heard horror stories from a few girls I met for posing about the things there coach was telling them. It made me realize how many people are willing to mess others up both mentally and physically to make a dollar. And the sad thing is, its a form of brainwashing when these young people actually believe these theories and ideas.

I have written many posts regarding balance and the mentality I have dealt with post competition/prep. Many of my struggles come from the fact that I had so many “rules” implanted in my head. As I mentioned in my most popular article to date “Pre Vs. Post Show: Finding Balance ( http://www.cutandjacked.com/Competition-pre-vs-post-show-finding-balance ) I always struggled with my mindset revolving around food. The idea of eating all the time or losing muscle mass was so implanted in my head, that I was overeating every three hours even when I wasnt hungry. I was so caught up on the idea that I HAD to have protein with my carbs that even if I had eaten 500 calories of various carb sources and was full I made sure to eat some additional protein, you know.. to stop that insulin spike (lol, wow was I messed up!).

So here is what I have done recently to find balance. I broke every rule I was ever told. Every single one. The first step was finding IIFYM and tracking my intake. This helped because it gave me a basis to work within but also allowed me flexibility. It took away the feelings of failure when I ate something outside of what I was used to, because hey.. if it fit my macros- it was okay! I mentioned to my husband when I first started tracking that i felt “controlled freedom”. Now those two words may contridict one another but lets face it, most people in this industry are in some way, shape, or form control freaks. You have to be to do what we do. IIFYM gave me the ability to be in control of my intake but the flexibility to work outside of the food sources I felt limited to.

I started eating carbs I enjoyed because nobody knows my body like me and if I had gotten lean on oatmeal and peanut butter previous to these rules, than realistically I knew this was not going to stop me from losing fat mass. And hey.. I made it fit my macros. I started fasting, oh but I was going to lose all my muscle gains right?! I fast because again it took back the control aspect from the theory that I had to eat every three hours. No you dont have to eat every three hours, you dont have to eat within 30 minutes of your workout, you dont have to eat breakfast. WHAT DID I JUST SAY? Yes thats right.. you dont have to eat breakfast. Thats another thing I was programmed for years to believe.. that I should eat immidately apon waking. So post show… I was shoving my face as soon as I got up.. and if I didnt get to eat I was cranky and anxious.

Now I want to address a few things. Specifically because I have clients out there that may be reading this, thinking.. “But you told me I should be eating breakfast and I should be eating my post workout shake and snack following my workouts?”. Most of you who dont understand or follow IIFYM may be following a specific meal plan with a total macronutrient breakdown that fits your goals. If you dont understand how to implement IIFYM, then yes- it is important to eat the way your specific plan is set up in order to reap the benefits. While in a deficit in particular (while cutting or trying to lose body fat mass) one should be eating more often especially considering an increase in excercise and the need to replenish nutrients through food sources. Now does this mean everyone HAS to follow these rules? Absolutely not. But if you dont have the education to implement another way based off your desired goals, then it is important to follow a specific plan.

For me in particular, the balance I have found in everyday life has come from breaking all the rules. Balance has come from figuring me out. My body. My mind. My happiness. I needed to break these rules in order to prove to myself that goals can be reached in many different ways. Nobody should tell you what you should do for you. Yes it is true there are some guidlines that benefit MOST individuals, but everyone is different and different methods work for different people. Be open minded. Dont believe everything you hear. Figure things out for yourself. If you bring an idea up to your coach who immidately shuts it down and tells you no- fire them. Remember balance is about long term sustainability. There is no one way or best way, find YOUR way.

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