Bulk - Week 3

Macros

This week

• 2300 calories
• 261g carbs
• 150g protein
• 73g fat

Stats

Last weeks weight: 64.1kg

Current weight: 64.5kg

Supplements

• Halotropin Testosterone Booster 1 tablet 2-3x per day
• Creatine 5g per day mixed in pre/post workout shake
• Cellucor C4 Pre Workout before training
• Glutamine 2 tablets post workout
• Probiotics 1x per day
• Multivitamin 1x per day
• Fish Oil/Cod Liver Oil 1x per day

Workouts

Monday 15th Dec: Rest

Tuesday 16th Dec: Lower Body
1. Box Squats 5 x 10
2. Smith Machine Leg Press 4 x 10
3. Cable Romanian Deadlift 4 x 10
4. Leg Extensions 5 x 10

Wednesday 17th Dec: Upper Body
1. Pull Ups 4 x 8
2. Overhead Barbell Press 4 x 10
3. Neutral Grip Pull Down 4 x 10
4. Dumbbell Lateral Raise into Front Raise 4 x 8
5a. Triceps Dips 4 x 8
5b. Cable Hammer Curl 4 x 10

Thursday 18th Dec: Rest

Friday 19th Dec: Lower Body
1. Box Squats 4 x 10
2. Smith Machine Reverse Lunges 4 x 8
3. Cable Romanian Deadlift 4 x 10
4. Leg Extension 6 x 10 (10 sec rest between sets)
5. Lying Hamstring Curl 5 x 10 (10 seconds rest between sets)

Saturday 20th Dec: Abs
1. Bottoms Up on Smith Machine 3 x 12
2. Kneeling Landmine 180 3 x 12
3. Cable Crunch 4 x 12
4. Hanging Leg Raise 4 x 10
5. Cable Oblique Crunch 3 x 12
6. Standing Ab Crunch with 10kg Plate 4 x 12

Sunday 21st Dec: Upper Body
1. Dumbbell Overhead Press 4 x 8-10
2. Standing High Pulley Row 4 x 12
3. Shoulder Bombs 4 x 8
4. Seated Row 4 x 12
5a. Triceps Push Down 4 x 12
5b. Dumbbell Biceps Curl 4 x 12

How am I feeling?

I have been getting really bad nausea during my workouts this week, especially when training legs. I think it could possibly be due to not drinking enough water the day prior to training (I always train in the morning). I am going to try upping my water intake to see if that helps.

In regards to fat gain, I am definitely starting to notice that I am gaining some fat. It doesn't bother me as I start cutting in a few weeks, but I can definitely notice it, especially in my lower body.

I am still taking my testosterone booster, and I am still loving it. I haven't slept this good in a long time. I fall asleep within 10 minutes and am out cold the whole night. The only downside is that you can feel a bit groggy when you wake up in the morning.

Plan for next week

Next week is the last week of my bulk before I start to slowly cut calories into a fat loss deficit, and of course it's Christmas where I will be enjoying lots of oysters kilpatrick and cheesecake - and no macros will be tracked.

I am excited for 2015 to see how much I can change my body. Every year for the past 6 years, I have vowed that I will be 'in shape for summer' and every year I have weighed and looked the same ha! The problem was that that was my main motivator, and it just wasn't enough to keep going with it. I would eat clean and exercise for 8 weeks then stop for 4, rinse and repeat. This time I have been going at it consistently for almost 6 months now, and that is because my motivation changed. My motivation now is to see how much I can lift, increase my strength and see how far I can push myself.

Bulk - Week 2

Macros

This week

• 2300 calories
• 258g carbs
• 146g protein
• 76g fat

Stats

Starting weight: 63kg

Current weight: 64.1kg

Supplements

• Halotropin Testosterone Booster 1 tablet 2-3x per day
• Creatine 5g per day mixed in pre/post workout shake
• Cellucor C4 Pre Workout before training
• Glutamine 2 tablets post workout
• Probiotics 1x per day
• Multivitamin 1x per day
• Fish Oil/Cod Liver Oil 1x per day

Workouts

Monday 10th Dec: Rest

Tuesday 9th Dec: Upper Body

All exercises are 4 x 8-10 reps with 90 seconds rest between sets.

1. Assisted Band Pull Ups (2 x 6) *

2. Wide Grip Lat Pull Down

3. Barbell Overhead Press

4. T Bar Row
5. Single Arm Linear Jammer
6a. Triceps Push Down
6b. Cable Rope Hammer Curl

* I injured my elbow badly two years ago doing chin ups and I haven't done them since. I still suffer with pain in my elbow if I lift over 45kg with my arms. Due to this I am easing slowly back into pull ups.

Wednesday 10th Dec: Rest - Sick

Thursday 11th Dec: Rest - Sick

Friday 12th Dec: Sick

Saturday 13th Dec: Lower Body
All exercises are 3 sets of 8-10 reps
1. Squats
2. Romanian Deadlift
3. Walking Lunges
4. Leg Extension
5. Lying Leg Curl
6. Seated Calf Raise

Sunday 14th Dec: Upper Body
1. Band Assisted Pull Ups  3 x 6
2. Reverse Grip Lat Pull Down  4 x 12
3. Barbell Overhead Press  4 x 12
4a. Single Arm Dumbbell Lateral Raise  4 x 8
4b. Single Arm Dumbbell Front Raise  4 x 8
5. Straight Arm Pull Down  3 x 10
6a. Triceps Push Down
6b. Cable Biceps Curl

How am I feeling?

I am still feeling great. I think I may have overdone it a bit last week and I wasn't feeling very good half way through my Monday upper body workout, so I decided to take a few days off until the muscle soreness, aches and sore chest/cough went away.

My weight is up 1kg since I started increasing calories 4 weeks ago, which is about on schedule.
I have 3 weeks left of my mini bulk until I start cutting for my friends wedding at the end of March.   My cutting phase will last 10 weeks. Then I will ease into a 3 month bulk starting the beginning of April.

I definitely feel like the testosterone booster [Halotropin] is making a difference. I have been sleeping like a baby and I am seeing some gains being made. Creatine on the other hand is going to take some getting used to. The 'pump' that it gives you feels very strange - like your muscles are going to burst. Definitely not a feeling I'm used to.

I love bulking, but the further into my bulk I go, I can see why people can struggle with it. It's definitely not fun feeling 'fluffier' than usual. You feel a bit chubby and your clothes don't fit as well as they used to. It's not something that bothers me enough to struggle with it - but I can definitely see why girls would.

Plan for next week

• Keep my calories and macros the same
• Do two upper body, two lower body and one ab workout with reps between 8-12.
• Drink 3+ litres of water per day
• Add more vegetables to my diet

Bulk - Week 1

Macros

This week

• 2300 calories
• 258g carbs
• 146g protein
• 76g fat

Supplements

• Halotropin Testosterone Booster 1 tablet 2x per day
• Creatine 5g per day mixed in pre/post workout shake
• Cellucor C4 Pre Workout before training
• Glutamine 2 tablets post workout
• Probiotics 1x per day
• Multivitamin 1x per day
• Fish Oil/Cod Liver Oil 1x per day

Workouts

Saturday 29 Nov: Legs

*Pre exhaust quads*

1. Leg Extension 4 x 8

2. Single Leg Extension 4 x 8

3. Barbell Full Squat

4. Barbell Walking Lunges

5a. Lying Hamstring Curls

5b. Barbell Deadliest

Sunday 30 Nov: Shoulders

All exercises are 4 x 6-8 reps with a 1/1/3 tempo

1. Overhead Barbell Press

2. Single Arm Linear Jammer

3a. Lying Cable Upright Row

3b. Front Plate Raise

4a. Cable Lateral Raise

4b. Bent Over Cable Fly

Monday 1st Dec: Rest

Tuesday 2nd Dec: Legs
Squats 5x6
Smith Machine Leg Press 5x8 superset with 5x8 pulses
Walking Lunges 3x16
Leg Extension 4x8 with drop set on last set

Wednesday 3rd Dec: Back
All exercises are 4x6-8 with 1.5-2 mins rest between sets
1. Wide Grip Lat Pull Down
2. Neutral Grip Lat Pull Down
3. Single Arm Wide Grip Pull Down
4. Bent Over Single Arm Barbell Row
5a. Straight Arm Rope Pull Down
5b. Band Pull Aparts

Thursday 4th Dec: Abs
All exercises are 4 sets of 8-12 reps
1. Kneeling Landmine 180
2. Standing Cable Crunch
3. Hanging Leg Raise
4. Stability Ball Knee Tuck

Friday 5th Dec: Rest

Saturday 6th Dec: Hamstrings
All exercises are 4 sets of 6-8 reps
1. Deadlift
2. Romanian Deadlift
3. Cable Pull Through
4. Lying Leg Curls

Sunday 7th Dec: Shoulders/Arms
1. Overhead Barbell Press
2. Kneeling Single Arm Linear Jammer
3. Cable Lateral Raise
4a. High Cable Pull
4b. Plate Front Raise
5a. Triceps Dips
5b. Dumbbell Biceps Curl

How am I feeling?

I am feeling great! I am loving eating all the extra food and I love that my lifts are getting stronger. I found that for the first 5 days when I would take my testosterone booster in the afternoon/evening, it would make me pretty drowsy, but when I took it before working out in the morning, it had the opposite effect - I could lift heavier and longer. Thankfully the drowsiness went after a few days and now I don't notice any side effects (except more energy and strength when taken before exercise).

I know a lot of people talk about really struggling with putting on weight and not being as 'lean' while bulking but I have to say I haven't experienced that yet. Yeah sure I have a bit more fat than I usually would, but I know I need to bulk in order to gain muscle so it doesn't really bother me. Plus, this girl loves her food. Next week I plan to keep my macros the same and keep an eye on how my weight changes.

Home Gym Set Up

I have had a few people ask me about my home gym - what's in it, what does it look like, how much have we spent on everything etc. So since I have just recently tidied it up, I thought I would take some photos of it. Keep in mind, we did not purchase everything at once - we have slowly added equipment over the last 6 years. My husband and I worked out that we would be paying $500 a year each to go to a local gym, so why not use that money to buy our own equipment that we can use at any time.

At the beginning of this year we built a 9x7 metre shed down the back of our block, half of which is our home gym, the other half houses our camper trailer.

I think my first purchase was the SelectTech Dumbbells which cost me around $380 back in 2009. These things are awesome and it beats having a bunch of dumbbells lying around. These were difficult to come by here in Australia and the only place that sold them was eBay. I still use them for nearly every workout.

The barbell and bumper plates are my husbands, and to be honest I did not want to buy them as I thought they were way too expensive - but now I use them more than he does. I think all up for the bar and the bumper plates it cost around $800. The bumper plates come in 0.5kg, 1kg, 1.5kg, 2kg, 2.5kg, 5kg, 10kg, 15kg and 20kg.

I also have a few stability balls, an agility ladder, boxing gloves, mits, rings, foam roller, TRX and a few other bits and pieces stowed away in a box in the corner. The squat rack/cable pulley is also my husbands purchase. We got it from Gym & Fitness two years ago for around $450.

I bought my smith machine off a man who lives on the Central Coast for $250. We got the leg extension/bench from a local man for $50. We also have a sled that my husband made, but I forgot to snap a picture of it!

I would love to get a boxing bag, more cable attachments, ropes and some medicine balls to add to the collection - maybe next year.

There you have it - that is pretty much all the fitness gear that we own (aside from DVD's). I am forever thankful that I am able to exercise from home and that we took the time to save and set it up. One of our big future goals was to have our own home gym and I am so grateful that we made that goal a reality.

If you are looking at setting up a home gym, I recommend shopping around - you can find a lot of second hand fitness equipment in excellent condition for a fraction of what it would cost in the shops. Take your time and add things as you can afford it.

Hopefully this gave you some ideas for your home gym. Feel free to message me or comment below if you have any questions!

Birth Control and Weight Loss

There is a lot of controversy regarding weight loss/fat loss and birth control. Many doctors will argue that birth control has no effect on weight or body composition, but birth control users seem to think otherwise. If you have been unsuccessful in losing weight or body fat no matter how hard you have tried, your birth control may very well be the culprit.

Let’s look at birth control a little more closely. There are two main types of birth control – estrogen-based and progestin-only. These two types of birth control can come in the form of a pill, ring, patch, injection, rod or IUD. Hormonal birth control works by stopping the ovaries from releasing an egg each month (preventing ovulation) and by making the environment unfit to implant an egg properly, making your body think that you are in fact pregnant. Since your body now thinks that you are pregnant, it prepares itself by storing what? That’s right, extra fat. Excess fat from birth control is usually stored in your lower body (hips & butt) and in your triceps.

Doctors and scientists argue that birth control does not make you gain weight or excess body fat, but that the pill increases your appetite and cravings therefore you eat more food which contributes to weight gain.

If you are someone who is serious about eating clean, gaining muscle mass and shedding body fat, but you are struggling to make improvements, your birth control may be to blame. A recent study was done on the effects of birth control and lean muscle mass. The study showed that women that took hormonal birth control gained 60% less muscle mass over a 10 week period than women who did not take birth control. You can find the study here.

Hormonal birth control is no doubt one of the best ways to prevent pregnancy, and there are good and bad side effects that come with it. Some of the negative side effects include acne, tiredness, breast tenderness, weight gain, breakthrough bleeding and spotting between periods, nausea and vomiting, changes in your eyes that make it more difficult to wear contact lenses, bloating, headaches, decreased libido, depression or other emotional changes, migraines, breast lumps, high blood pressure (hypertension), high cholesterol, blood clots, heart attack, stroke, liver damage, gallstones and jaundice. The benefits of hormonal birth control are reduced cancer risk, acne prevention, reduction in abdominal pain and PMS symptoms, regular menstrual cycles and decreased endometriosis symptoms.

Some people can lose weight very easily while on birth control without any problem, and some struggle tremendously. It all comes down to the individual and their body. What works for one person may not work for another. For me it is a huge struggle to lose body fat, especially from my belly and lower body, even while maintaining a calorie deficit and exercising. It is very very difficult for me to get below 60kg without cutting calories too low (under 1500 per day). I have read a lot that people say that birth control doesn't affect weight loss, but unfortunately for some of us it does.

If you are on the pill and you are finding weight gain a problem, then talk to your doctor about swapping to a lower dose pill, or try another form of hormonal contraception. If you want to skip the hormones all together, maybe give a non-hormonal contraceptive a try, like the copper IUD. At the end of the day it all comes down to your body and how your body responds to hormones.

I would love to hear your experience, has birth control made a difference in your weight?

Maintenance Week

Macros
7 days this week:

• 180-220g carbs
• 145g protein
• 60-70g fat
• 2000-2300 calories

Workouts This Week

Day 1: Legs with Hamstring/Glute Focus
1. Sumo Deadlift | 4 x 8
2a. Romanian Deadlift | 4 x 8
2b. Floor Glute-Ham Raise | 4 x 6-8
3. Cable Pull Through | 4 x 8
4. Single Leg Lying Hamstring Curl | 4 x 8
5a. Single Leg Hip Thrust 3 x 8
5b. Cable Kickback | 3 x 8

Day 2: Back & Abs
All back exercises are 4 sets of 6-8 reps.
1a. Wide Grip Lat Pull Down
1b. Seated Row
2a. Single Arm Pull Down
2b. Single Arm Cable Row
3a. Straight Arm Pull Down
3b. Bent Over Fly

Abs
1a. Landmine 180 | 4 x 12
1b. Stability Ball Knee Tucks | 3 x 12

Day 3: Rest

Day 4: Shoulders & Abs
All exercises are 4 sets of 6-8 reps
1. Barbell Military Press
2. Single Arm Linear Jammer
3. Cable Lateral Raise
4a. Cable Upright Row
4b. Cable Front Raise

Abs
1a. Stability Ball Knee Tucks | 4 x 10-12
1b. Cable Crunch | 4 x 10-12

Day 5: Legs with Quad Focus
All exercises are 4 sets of 6-8 reps.

1. Deep Squats
2a. Wide Smith Machine Squats
2b. Narrow Smith Machine Squats
3a. Walking Lunges
3b. Seated Leg Extensions
4. Single Leg Leg Extensions
5. Cable Leg Abduction


Day 6: Rest

Day 7: Rest
I spent the day out working with my husband laying cable and shovelling dirt followed by 3 hours of housework, so I didn't bother doing an arm workout on top of it.


What is my plan for next week?
I am going to be increasing my calories and moving into a lean bulk. Since I maintained my weight this week I am assuming my maintenance is around 2000-2100ish calories. I will eat at a surplus on workout days (2300) and will eat at maintenance on rest days. Depending on my weight next week, I may increase my calories on workout days to 2300. My aim is to gain lean muscle while minimising fat gain. My weight goal is to gain around 250-500g (0.5-1lb) per week.

I will also be dropping the Quadralean and adding the testosterone booster/hormone regulator 'Halotropin' to my supplement stack which should arrive on Tuesday. Being on the contraceptive pill for 8 years has had a huge impact on my hormones and testosterone levels which makes it difficult to gain muscle and lose fat (I have also been getting terrible headaches from the pill as well). Losing fat and gaining muscle is not impossible to do on the pill, it just takes a very long time and my body does everything it can to hold on to fat due to the high oestrogen levels. Anyways that is a whole different topic that I will cover in another post. I am excited to give my body a break from synthetic hormones and see how it responds with the extra testosterone.

Week of Workouts

Macros
6 x per week:

• 175g carbs
• 130g protein
• 58g fat
• 1760 calories

1 x per week:

• 260 carbs
• 115 protein
• 50 fat
• 1950 calories

Workouts

Please note: You may be able to lift more than me, or you may not be able to lift as much. Just lift as much as YOU can in order to reach failure within the given rep amount.
I won't be listing what weight I use for each exercise every week - this is just for personal reference so I can work on still increasing my weights each week.

Day 1: Leg Circuit
Since I have been struggling with low iron, I was only able to do a 25 minute weight workout before running out of energy. I followed this up with a 25 minute walk on the treadmill. Heart rate between 140-150bpm.

1. Overhead Plate Squat | 2 x 12 | 10kg
2. Plate Squat | 2 x 12 | 10kg
3. Leg Extension | 4 x 12 | 20kg
4a. Sumo Deadlift | 4 x 12 | 30kg superset
4b. Lying Hamstring Curl | 4 x 12 | 15kg
5. Walking Lunges | 3 x 16 | bodyweight

Day 2: Shoulders & Abs
All shoulder exercises are 4 sets of 6-8 reps.
All ab exercises are 4 sets of 8-12 reps.

1. Barbell Overhead Press | 20kg
2. Smith Machine Press | 20kg
Giant Set
3a. Lateral Raise | 12.5lb dumbbells
3b. Upright Row | 15kg
3c. Front Plate Raise | 10kg

Abs
1a. Hanging Leg Raise
1b. Cable Crunch | 15kg
1c. Landmine 180 | 5kg added to the end of a 20kg barbell

Cardio: 15 minute LISS walk

Day 3: Rest

Day 4: Back
1. Wide Grip Lat Pull Down | 4 x 8 | 25kg
2. Seated Row | 4 x 8 | 27.5kg
3a. Single Arm Long Bar Row | 4 x 8 | 22.5kg
3b. Single Arm Pull Down | 4 x 6-8 | 5kg
4a. Bent over fly | 4 x 8 | 10lb dumbbells
4b. Band Pull Aparts | 4 x 8

Day 5: Legs
1. Squats
1 x 12 at 20kg (warm up set)
2 x 6 at 50kg
2 x 8 at 40kg

2. Sumo Deadlift | 4 x 8 | 40kg
3. Leg Extension | 4 x 8 | 30kg with drop set on last set
4. Barbell Hip Thrust | 4 x 8 | 30kg
5a. Cable Romanian Deadlift | 4 x 8 | 15kg
5b. Lying Hamstring Curl | 4 x 8 | 15kg

10 minute walk

Day 6: Arms & Abs
1a. Tricep Push Ups | 4 x 8
1b. Dumbbell Biceps Curl | 4 x 8 | 12.5lbs
2a. Triceps Dips | 4 x 8
2b. Cable Hammer Curl | 4 x 8 | 10kg
3a. Triceps Pushdown | 4 x 8 | 10kg
3b. Single Arm Cable Biceps Curl | 4 x 6-8 | 5kg

Abs
1a. Plate Crunch | 4 x 10 | 10kg plate
1b. Bench Jumps | 4 x 12
2. Hanging Leg Raise | 4 x 8

15 minutes cardio between sets

Day 7: Rest


Some of the food I ate this week

What is my plan for next week?
I have decided next week to eat at maintenance and then ease into a 6 week bulk followed by a 10-12 week cut. I really need to gain some muscle, increase my metabolism and try to increase my calorie intake so I don't have to cut on too low calories. I have been in a deficit for so long - it's time to change it up!

Chicken & Shrimp Quesadillas with Tomato Avocado Salsa

Colourful Summer Salad

We had dinner at my sister and brother in laws last night and my brother in law (who just happens to be a chef) made this yummy salad. It was so good, perfect for summer (and easy!) that I made it this morning to eat over the next few days.

New Zealand Trip Oct/Nov 2014

We just got home from spending two weeks visiting family in New Zealand. I didn't take many photos at all, instead I took the Go Pro with me everywhere and filmed instead. I swear that thing was the best investment. I enjoyed some delicious food while still making time to work out. We went on a ton of bush walks and tried to stay as active as possible. We went to the stock cars, spent time with family and enjoyed lots of fireworks.

Our holiday in pictures with a 10 minute video at the end :-)

My Experience with IIFYM/Flexible Dieting

I have been exercising/into fitness for 7 years now and food has always been the one thing I have struggled with. I would always 'eat clean' followed by binging. And I'm not talking about eating a block of chocolate and then being satisfied. I'm talking about binging on everything in sight - I would eat a whole 500g block of chocolate in one sitting - yikes!. Even when you are full you don't stop. You can see my post about binge eating back here.

When it came to exercise I would be on track for roughly 8 weeks and as soon as I reached my goal weight I would think okay, now I can eat whatever I want and not exercise. Fast forward 4 weeks later and I would be back to where I started. Then I would start the process all over again. Yes I did this for 7 years. My goal was ALWAYS a number on the scale and it wasn't until I changed that and my relationship with food that I was able to really make it a lifestyle change.

 I have been following IIFYM for 4 months now and I have been consistent the whole time. Why? 1. Because I know exactly what my goals are and this time it is not a number on the scale. 2. I have found a way of eating that allows me to eat anything I want (as long as it fits my macros) and not feel the restriction that comes with eating clean. Don't get me wrong, I still eat clean 80% of the time, but I still enjoy 'bad foods' daily. I finally feel like I truly have balance in my life with food and exercise. And you know what else is great? I haven't had a binge in 4 months. That to me is progress in itself.

How I Overcame BED | Binge Eating Disorder Part 2

What did I do to overcome BED?

1. Stop dieting
I can positively say that had I not started dieting back in 2008, then I don't think I would have ever ended up with BED. Now this isn't the case for everyone. Not everyone that has BED was caused from dieting, but in my case it was. I had counted calories and restricted myself for so many years, that the thought of doing or trying anything else sent me into a state of panic. Even when I wasn't faithfully tracking calories, I had done it for so long that I could still calculate everything in my head before I ate it. If you feel you are being controlled by a 'diet' and that is what is causing your binge eating, then you need to stop dieting and find an alternative. I know, it's easier said than done. For me the things that helped the most was IIFYM and Intuitive Eating. IIFYM worked well for me because I was already an obsessive calorie counter, but this allowed me to eat what I wanted, reach my goals and stop the restriction that came along with it. The restriction was a huge factor for me. Then I decided to read the book Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole. After all the years of binging, calorie counting and eating every 3 hours on the dot I had forgotten how to listen to when my body was really hungry. This is something I am still getting used to, but it has definitely helped.

How I Overcame BED | Binge Eating Disorder Part 1

"People with a binge eating disorder lose control of their life to food. Instead of eating for life, their life centers on eating. The urge to eat becomes strong enough that it blocks rational thought. The best laid goals are disregarded, and the focus becomes food. Those suffering from a binge eating disorder gorge themselves on a regular basis, and this behavior leads to feelings of shame and embarrassment. As part of a cycle, they follow binging with renewed promises to change their ways. However, the compulsion to eat does not go away and their good intentions are not enough to help them overcome their eating disorder."

BED is a silent struggle that many face on a daily basis. I know. I struggled with it for 5 years. I hope that by writing this and sharing my story, that it will help someone who is going through the same thing. What exactly is BED? Why is it not talked about? What did I do to overcome it? Read below to find out.

What is BED (Binge Eating Disorder) and how do I know if I have it?

Binge eating disorder is characterised by compulsive overeating in which people consume huge amounts of food while feeling out of control and powerless to stop. The symptoms of binge eating disorder usually begin in late adolescence or early adulthood, often after a major diet. A binge eating episode typically lasts around two hours, but some people binge on and off all day long. Binge eaters often eat even when they’re not hungry and continue eating long after they’re full. They may also gorge themselves as fast as they can while barely registering what they’re eating or tasting. The key features of binge eating disorder are:

• Frequent episodes of uncontrollable binge eating.
• Feeling extremely distressed or upset during or after bingeing.
• Unlike bulimia, there are no regular attempts to “make up” for the binges through vomiting, fasting, or over-exercising.

People with binge eating disorder struggle with feelings of guilt, disgust, and depression. They worry about what the compulsive eating will do to their bodies and beat themselves up for their lack of self-control. They desperately want to stop binge eating, but feel like they can’t.

Clean Vegetable Quiche

Weight Loss vs Fat Loss

It seems everyone these day's is trying to lose weight. There is always a new diet, new workout program or new fat burning supplement promising you that you can have a bikini body in 30 days. But is losing weight the same as losing fat? People seem to use both terms interchangeably and it can get confusing. By the end of this post you’ll understand the difference between weight loss & fat loss, but also which one you should aim for and how.

Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss. What’s the difference? Let’s start by defining weight loss & fat loss so you know what I mean here.
Weight Loss: You want to lower your body-weight, the weight you see on the scale. The weight of your bones, muscles, organs and body fat.
Fat Loss: You want to lower your body fat, the amount of fat you have on your body, while retaining as much muscle as possible.

Crunchy Baked Eggplant Fries

I tried making these fries for the first time today and they turned out perfect, soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside - even my son loved them. I will definitely be making these again!

IIFYM/Flexible Dieting & Refeeds

 

No doubt by now you have probably heard of the term IIFYM, otherwise known as if it fits your macros. It is becoming extremely popular in the fitness world because of its ability to help you get lean while being able to eat 'bad' or 'off limits' foods. I have been following IIFYM for a few weeks now and I wanted to answer some questions I have had about IIFYM to help you to better understand what it's about, and if it is something you would be interested in trying.

What is IIFYM?

IIFYM or flexible dieting as it is otherwise known is a method of dieting that revolves around meeting daily macronutritional intake targets (protein, carbs & fats) while being able to eat a wide variety of different foods. You plan out your daily meals to provide you with the right amount of calories, protein, carbohydrates and fats that your body needs based on your specific goals (fat loss, maintenance or muscle building). For example, I am currently 'cutting' and losing body fat and my macros look something like this: 135 grams of protein per day 168 grams of carbohydrate per day 56 grams of fat per day (About 1700 calories per day) According to IIFYM, so long as I hit these numbers every day, the foods I eat to get there will not negatively affect my body composition.

Reverse Dieting

See my previous posts on Metabolic Damage and IIFYM.

What is reverse dieting?

Reverse dieting is a very slow increase in calories after extended periods of caloric restriction, essentially you have reached your goal and and want to maintain it. The goal of reverse dieting is to slowly add as many calories as possible (mainly from carbohydrates) without gaining any weight or whilst gaining as little weight as possible. The slow increase of calories allows your body to adapt to the increases each week and prevent any significant fat gain.

Why reverse diet?

If you have been on a calorie restricted diet for a long period of time, especially when combined with excessive cardio, your metabolism will start to slow down and weight loss will become difficult. If you have been dieting on say 1400 calories for a while and have noticed no weight loss so decided to jump back up to maintenance calories (which would likely be around 2000 calories) you would most likely gain a significant amount of body fat.  This is because your metabolism has been somewhat damaged and is therefore sluggish and is not equipped to handle the large increase in calories. Reverse dieting aims to prevent this from happening by maximizing your metabolic capacity so that when you reach the maximum amount of calories you can eat without weight gain, you will start to lose fat far more efficiently.

 

Metabolic Damage

'You should be eating the maximum amount of calories possible and doing the least amount of cardio necessary while still losing fat.'
You start working out and cutting your calories to ensure that you have a calorie deficit. The weight is coming off at a steady pace, then all of a sudden you hit a plateau. No matter what you do the weight won’t budge, so you lower your calories and up your cardio yet again until you are doing 1-2 hours of cardio a day and eating 1200 calories. Then after a while, your weight loss stops. You still haven’t reached your goal, you are frustrated and tired and your metabolism is damaged. Now what?

Many people think that they have to drastically reduce calories and perform lots of cardio in order to lose weight, but could this actually be detrimental to our fat loss efforts? If you someone who has stopped losing weight no matter how much you exercise or cut calories  then you could be suffering from metabolic damage.

IIFYM: How Do I Gain Muscle?

In order to gain muscle you need to eat more calories than what are needed to maintain your current weight. This means you will be in a caloric surplus by around 5-10%. Along with gaining muscle, you will also gain some fat. How much fat you gain will depend on your body. The most common way to approach a bulk (especially from a females perspective) is to lean bulk. Doing a lean bulk allows you to gain muscle while gaining as little fat as possible.

In order to do a lean bulk, you need to work out the calories that are needed for bulking for your body, you can do that here. You want to input all your information into the calculator and select ‘Bulking – Cautious 5%’. I always recommend starting out with 5% to see how your body responds before increasing calories.

What I'm Lovin' Wednesday

1. Reading

I just picked up these two books to read - I have heard great things about both.

2. Living Lockets

Filled with all the things I love. I purchased this from JoynMemories at Etsy.com.

3. Progress!

10 weeks ago | 4 weeks ago | today

Blue Mountains

I dreaded the 4 hour car ride from our home to the Blue Mountains with a 3 year old in tow. Thankfully he did amazing in the car (this is coming from a child who used to scream blue murder every car ride from birth-2 years). To say I was proud was an understatement.

Once we arrived at the blue mountains, we checked in to the campsite, set up the camper and then hopped in the car and headed for Govetts Leap Lookout.

When Lachlan first saw the lookout he said "Wow, its beautiful Mum! Can we go to the park now?".

Lachlan noticed a walking trail (one of many to come over the next few days) and declared that we walk it. So we walked down and down and down a little bit more until we reached another lookout. Unfortunately we had to walk all the way back up the steps. Good thing I am all for a good workout!

The next day we headed to the Three Sisters Lookout and Scenic World. Here are some pictures from the Three Sisters Lookout. Yes my son was mid tantrum (got to love those terrible threes!).

Scenic World was great and we went on everything. Thankfully we got there early because it was jam packed when we went to leave at 11am.

We went on the worlds steepest railway - that thing was no joke!

We also went on a beautiful waterfall walk.

The next day we set off to Jenolan Caves. The drive in was harrowing to say the least. Most of it was only one lane so meeting cars along the way was difficult.

We decided to visit the Orient cave and it did not disappoint. I was surprised at just how many children were on the tour. Thankfully Lachlan loved it too and was so well behaved, especially given the length of the tour (2 hours) and the slow moving pace.

We had every intention to eat smores at night but by 6pm it was just way too cold to think about sitting outside. So we just ate the marshmallows and chocolate inside the camper by the warmth of the heater (and by we I mean me).

By the last day I was ready to kill the barking owls that started up at 5.15 every morning. I thought it was a dog barking, turns out I was wrong.

Here are a few pictures from a small lookout we found in Blackheath.

Here is a little video I put together of our little holiday.