The scene opens on a young woman, dressed in silks and laying on a stone slab. She is breathing steadily, her golden hair flowing around her in waves, undisturbed by time passed. Her eyelids flutter, opening like delicate wings of tentative butterflies. As her vision slowly comes into focus, she sees the screen of a computer in the distance, casting a pale light upon her porcelain skin. She leaps from the slab, eyes growing wide, and races across the room, crying only two words at the realization of what she's neglected to do during her slumber;
"MY BLOG!"
-----
Okay, okay. Although I am no Aurora, I have been in a bit of a "sleep" the past few months. It's called life, and it cast a spell on me that, until recently, has been hard to break. It's incredible how easy it is to fall into the everyday routine, the mundane in and out of getting up, going to work, coming home, and collapsing into bed. Wash, rinse, repeat, right?
It's especially hard to focus on anything but the basic routine when you aren't sure if your job is going to be getting cut hours or when your partner is having trouble finding/staying in work. Thankfully, although it was a rough few months, The Mister found a job that allows him to be the creative food genius he is in a year-round position that fits his experience and credentials. I, after initially being told that my already part-time job would be getting cut back by 4 hours, will be getting full-time hours instead starting in June. Since things have been getting back on track, I've been able to wake up from my "keep it together" trance and focus on things that make me happy, healthy, and whole. Like writing this blog. Cooking. Exercising. Anything, really, beyond the mundane.
Let me update you since I last visited my little corner of the internet in June:
- I stopped Herbalife, at least for now. The cost proved to be too much for our current financial situation, which was disappointing, as it was really easy and seemed to be working.
- I became obsessed with counting calories and the number on the scale again, which only frustrated me and sent me further into my hypothetical "sleep", causing less motivation to eat right, go to the gym, or do anything that I really love. I felt like I was failing, which made me not want to try at all. A vicious cycle that caused me to gain back almost 15lbs from where I was in June.
- After a brief "fuck it" stint of going back to my non-healthy ways (read: holidays) I was able to get back on track using the If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM) model. More on that in a bit.
- The Mister and I have (somewhat) seriously started wedding planning, which is very overwhelming and exciting. Shooting for Fall 2016. Eek!
- We adopted a dog! At the end of July, a little pitbull/daschund (yes, you read that right) mix became available through Alpha Dog Rescue, and has filled our lives with so much joy, happiness, snuggles, poop and chewed socks, it's incredible. Definitely the best decision we've ever made. Meet our baby Khaleesi, as in Mother of Dragons, or Khali for short.
 |
| Focused on food. Just like her momma. |
That's kind of it in a nutshell. At least the big updates. 2015 has been a bit of a rough start, but it can really only go up from here, I think. The poor Mister has had it much worse than me. Between an abscessed tooth, an allergic reaction to Snuggle Fabric Softner (damn, that Snuggle Bear!) and most recently, a crippling cold/cough,
Now that we're all caught up on my life happenings, lets revisit that thing I mentioned that helped get me back on track. If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM), or flexible dieting.
I first heard of IIFYM through @dallasrae on Instagram, who is a national bikini competitor and a HUGE fitspo for many women out there. Now, I am quite aware I will most likely never have her incredible physique, nor is that really my goal, but she posts lots of workouts, recipes, and inspirational content that help me through some tough days.
So when she started doing and talking about IIFYM, it interested me, because as you know bikini competitors typically have a pretty restrictive diet. But she was eating frozen yogurt, and pizza, and burgers! HOW?!
IIFYM allows you to incorporate those foods into your diet while still hitting your weight and fitness goals. It takes the "macro" components of everyone's diet - fat, protein, and carbohydrates - and balances them in a way that is conducive to your personal goals. In @dallasrae 's case, she uses it to bulk up, then lean and tone as it gets closer to competition time. In my case, I am primarily focusing on weight loss, so I utilize it in that way.
How can one program do ALL OF THIS, you ask?
There are a few different formulas for calculating IIFYM that are used, the most common is the Harris-Benedict. It takes into account your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), or calories burned per day at rest based on your height and weight, and your activity factor. So, for someone like @dallasrae who is constantly up in the gym workin' on her Fitness (heyyy, Fergie!) her IIFYM number is going to be MUCH different than my semi-sedentary, quasi-office job, 30 mins of cardio and light lifting maybe 3 times a week number.
When you use the Harris-Benedict formula, it calculates your caloric number for weight maintenance. From here, you can adjust accordingly based on your goals, which is why it works for literally EVERYBODY. There are a few apps out there to make it easier, if you're mathematically challenged like me. I use MacroCalculator and Macros, two apps both found on the GooglePlay store, but there are HUNDREDS out there. You can also simply Google IIFYM and a whole bunch of options come up.
Since starting IIFYM about three months ago, I have lost all of the holiday/hibernation weight I gained AND an additional 10 lbs or so. I say "or so" because since starting IIFYM, I have (almost) completely lost my obsession with the scale. Last time I checked, I was at 229, which is a full 51 lbs down from where I was September 2013. Most days, it's not about the scale anymore, it's about how I feel from day to day. For me, I know when I have a diet heavy in carbohydrates, I am sluggish and sick, and I gain wait fast and furiously. I calculated my number based on the Harris-Benedict formula, then selected a low-carb plan option to keep me feeling at my best. Not no-carb, like Atkins, because I also know that for my body, that only works as long as I keep it up, and eventually I binge and eat a whole loaf of bread or an entire pizza and it's all over.
My three meals a day consist of 40% proteins, 35% fats, and 25% carbs. This makes it easier for me to plan my meals accordingly, instead of just shooting for a calorie goal that leaves me trying to eat as many "bad" things as I can cram in before my calories are used up. I can actually visualize what each meal should look like on the plate based on my percentages, and being a spatial thinker, that sets me up for success. I picture it like a pie chart, or the plates with dividers you get as a kid. (Mine was a frog, I think.)
I am still new to this whole thing, so I might not be doing it "right", but for right now, it's working. I am always open to suggestions if someone has more knowledge, so please feel free to leave tidbits of wisdom in the form of comments. We are all here to help each other, and I am no exception to that rule.
-----
As her fingers flew across the keyboard, words appearing on the screen before her, something stirred in her chest that she hadn't felt in months. Fluttering wings beat against her ribcage, trying to escape. A smile crept to her lips, slowly at first, then spreading and splitting her face in two. Her frenzied typing continued as the bird attempted to fly, each passing moment causing it to flap harder and harder against it's cage. For the first time in a long time, she felt fully awake.
The frantic typing slowed to a stop. She inhaled deeply, poising her finger above the keypad for a final stroke, the bird in her ribcage fighting ferociously to fly. She closed her eyes, jabbed the keyboard one more time, and exhaled, feeling pride flow from her on the wings of a newly freed bird.
POST SUCCESSFUL.
No comments:
Post a Comment