My Fat Loss Plan + How To Track Calories/Macros
Ok, here it is folks, my new "before". Like I said in my previous post, I'm currently at 22% body fat, 158 lbs. Definitely not my leanest. I don't think I'm like, huge or obese or anything like that, I'm just not where I want to be. OMG but speaking of which! I once had a coach that pronounced it "O'beast" lol for real. She wasn't even kidding, she really, honest-to-God thought that's how you said it.
"Come on Victoria push through... you don't want to be o'beast forever do you?!"
I could never concentrate after that. Needless to say, things didn't work out between us.
7/9/18
Anyway, I'm committing to an 8-week "cut" starting this past Monday, 7/9/18. A "cut" is basically just fitness lingo for lowering your daily calories. The general population usually calls it "going on a diet". As always I'll be using the Flexible Dieting or IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) method for nutrition.
There are 3 pillars to this current program: Nutrition, Training and Supplementation. This is what that looks like:
Nutrition:
1600 Calories, Macros: 140g carbs, 145 protein, 54g fat
Macronutrients or "macros"are basically the three main types of food your body needs to survive: protein, carbohydrates and fats.
I will be weighing and tracking my food on the My Fitness Pal app. It's free to download and if you don't already have it, I highly suggest you get it. I should also mention that these are my STARTING calories. So if I don't respond or if I start losing too much too quickly, these will be adjusted. With healthy weight loss you want to aim for 1-2 lbs max per week. I also drink a gallon of water per day.
Below is what a full day of eating can look like for me at 1600 cals. This was my food from yesterday. Please note that I normally make it a point to add at least 2 servings of different veggies per day, but yesterday was super rushed so I grabbed some zucchini twice and called it a day lol. I eat what I like to eat. I don't force myself to eat things I hate, such as seafood (with the exception of the occasional salmon, which is growing on me).
I didn't hit the exact macros but I came pretty close and with the kind of crazy day I had, I'm not even trippin'.
This first meal was protein zucchini oats, in case you found the combo of ingredients rather odd lol. It's one of my favorite quick breakfasts. I'll make an entry entirely on this very soon!
This was a cauliflower pizza basically. With a side of zucchini. I didn't eat it raw, although a lot of times I do. But I always measure the food raw, input it into My Fitness Pal as raw weight and cook it after. :)
Protein adds up from different sources. It doesn't only have to come from the obvious options (i.e. chicken, beef, eggs/whites, whey, etc.), Nonfat Greek yogurt is an excellent source of protein. Chia seeds contribute too, although they are better known for their high quality fat and omegas. I mixed all this together with stevia (stevia has no calories therefore I didn't need to add it on the app) and vanilla extract. Very yummy and my sweet tooth was happy.
Also, notice the protein bar in Meal 4. NOT THE SMARTEST OPTION. I was hungry within an hour. It's probably mental because it was tiny. I like to see volume. It was 200 calories though, I could have had a whole chicken breast and some veggies for that amount and it would have kept me way fuller longer. But I was in a rush.
That's right... sugar-free chocolate pudding. Because it's delicious and I'm 12 years old lol. I swear by sugar-free jello too!
OK so now, to see where you are with your macros simply scroll to the very bottom of the app, click "Nutrition" and then on "Macros" at the top, right hand corner. Voila!
Also, I keep an eye on my fiber intake. I make sure to get at least 25g of fiber per day (it adds up from the day's food if you did it right. To check where you are with fiber click on "NUTRIENTS", to the left of "MACROS"and scroll down. It's listed on there.
Training:
I will be training 6 days a week. The breakdown looks like this:
Monday: Glutes + Hamstrings
Tuesday: Upper Body
Wednesday: Quads + Calves
Thursday: 45 min walk
Friday: Upper Body
Saturday: Lower Body
Sunday: REST
+ Hitting 10,000 steps minimum every day.
If you are new to weight loss and aren't sure how to work out or lift weights or feel that this is all too much, I would suggest focusing on the diet portion first. You can lose weight/fat without working out but you CANNOT do it without being in a caloric deficit (meaning eating fewer calories than you burn). Check out this post where I explain that a bit better. So make your nutrition a priority. If you can add maybe an hour of speed walking per day, even better. Try to hit at least 10,000 steps each day either on a treadmill, walking your dog, going for a run, etc. This will only help speed up the process. Once you're ready, add some resistance training!
Supplements:
I will be using l-carnitine and coffee before workouts and electrolites during the workouts.
I also have powdered protein handy that I take when I'm short on my protein intake for the day or as a meal replacement when I'm in a rush. I also like to put it in my oats before a workout sometimes.
I also take a sleep aid for better rest which is crucial for weight loss.
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