10 weeks out Update

December 2014 and Today: Aug 2015

I’m 10 weeks from my UFE Show in Chicago. I snapped the above pic on the right today no filter. I am happy with progress.  I want to share a little about this process of being self coached and IIFYM.

The pics above are about 5 pounds apart.

My grow season was about eating some good food and building. I do not gain muscle easily. My macros were over 2000 calories but I  was still fighting binges. I probably always will have that to contend with. 😦
I did get some good gains and I lifted some heavy weight. Lots of PRS! I put the time in on building that’s for sure.
Even though, I’m pretty fluffy in pic 1, I was happy and felt good.   I was in the process of eliminating too many sugary foods that were causing me to binge. It’s taken me months to get into the right groove. But, I always tell my clients..
“hey.. we learned something!”

I started a prep in March then halted it for a few reasons.  I was not happy with the balance of food and the length of time I needed to cut . I’ve been working on a slow cut for several months.  The scale.. ugh. It just never gives me the right answer!

Current progress

Last week to this week. Now, I had just come of my birthday and vacation in Las Vegas. But I’m still liking the change my new macros gave me after 10 days.  I was rudely, publicly criticized  two times this week by meatheads saying that what I’m doing is a waste of time. I think not.  I give zero credibility to people who cannot see past their own arrogance. We are all here to learn.  I am grateful for my circle of friends who are positive!

Strategies

This prep, even though I’m Macro counting,  I’m using almost no grains. Oats is about it. I’m eating my weight in veggies and creating more balance of food that looks and tastes good than 5 meals of Turkey Chicken Fish.

Most of my food is whole foods.  No nut butters. Those trigger me!  My fats are all coming from super foods, like avocado,
cocoa nibs, salmon, fish oil caps, olive oil.    I’m not sharing my cut percentages., 🙂  Sorry, a few of you have asked.  I am playing with the ones that work and these are the ones.

My proteins are coming from  lean meat , but I’m also using whey, greek yogurt (light and fit ), cottage cheese and egg whites of course. I always start the day with a protein pancake since 2013.  Boring!

Carbs include fruit too. I do not eat food I dislike. I am hungry sometimes but over all feel amazing!

I understand I will have to drop macros more, but for now.. it’s working just fine. I’m sure I’ll keep you updated!
Peach Protein Cupcakes with Raspberry Icing

I’m using rippedrecipes.com to give me options that are fun yet fit how I want to eat. I’m making Peach Raspberry Protein cupcakes for dinner. They are grain free and high protein.
Look at these macros.. I removed the Agave which takes off 2g carbs and 8 calories  per cupcake. It’s sweet enough without the Agave.   Here is that recipe

Here’s why
I posted this for a couple reasons. Slow cuts are better for me!  Don’t get me wrong, I’m working my butt off but a 20 pound loss in 12 weeks is going to go badly on the rebound. My goal is to reverse properly and stay at a solid off season weight that will allow me some choices. I want more muscle for 2016.

Secondly, many of the super stars of IG never show you their grow season pictures.  I’m ok with that, but it’s hard to believe they eat on prep macros all year round and look camera ready.  You need a surplus of calories to grow. It’s science.

Yeah Science
Many times girls want to compete and they show me their current macros that they live on..basically no food.
You cannot start a prep from a low caloric intake.

Please understand this.. to get leaner, you must be in a deficit. If you start a 12 week prep on 1200 calories and 6 days of cardio, the only thing you can do is workout more, or eat less.

The trick to this process is to learn where the balance is between off season and show season.  Not many people are proficient because I see women posting all the time about how they rebounded post show.

My goal in this process is to learn as much as I can so I can get better each year.

I’m starting 10 weeks out feeling great. So many miles to go! 
Enjoy your weekend and stay focused. Stay positive! You can do it!